The Capacity and Access Improvement Payments (CAIP) have now ended. From 1 April 2026, any GP capacity previously supported through CAIP must instead be funded through the new GP Reimbursement Scheme, inserted into the SFE by the 2026 Amendment Directions. The scheme is designed to reimburse practices for the costs of increasing or maintaining GP participation, and it applies across the 2026/27 financial year.
Under this new arrangement, practices can claim reimbursement in three situations. They may claim for the employment of a new salaried GP; for increasing the participation of an existing salaried GP; or for continuing a salaried GP post that had previously been funded through CAIP, provided that the earlier funding has ceased or is ceasing. This final category is the key mechanism for maintaining CAIP‑funded GP posts going forward.
The scheme is governed by principles of additionality. Practices cannot claim reimbursement for costs already covered by another scheme, and the funding cannot be used to cover an absent GP performer. These safeguards ensure that the scheme supports genuine expansion or preservation of GP capacity rather than backfilling gaps.
Reimbursement levels depend on the type of claim. For new salaried GPs or continuation of CAIP‑funded posts, NHS England will reimburse the lower of the actual cost or a maximum of £152,900 (or £155,698 with London weighting). For increased sessions by an existing salaried GP, reimbursement is based on the lower of the actual hourly cost or a maximum hourly rate of £90.61 (£92.27 in London).
Each practice has a capped entitlement calculated as £4.57 multiplied by its adjusted population. This replaces the previous PCN‑level CAIP allocation with a practice‑level funding envelope. Claims must be submitted through CQRSL within three months of the end of the month to which they relate, and payments are made in arrears at the end of the following month. Practices must also notify NHS England of any change in circumstances that might affect eligibility.
Although funding is now practice‑based, PCNs can still coordinate GP capacity where needed. A practice may transfer part or all of its entitlement to another practice within the same PCN, enabling shared posts to continue where this is locally agreed.
In practical terms, this marks a shift from centrally held PCN block payments to a model where practices must actively claim reimbursement for actual GP salary costs. CAIP‑funded GP posts can continue, but only if practices make claims under the new Section 14A provisions. Control and responsibility therefore sit more clearly with individual practices, with PCNs retaining a coordinating role only where practices choose to pool entitlements.