Single-lever policy simulation · public services

GP / primary care investment

£15.0bn/yr (current)£22.5bn/yr (+50%)10-year projection

This report models the effect of raising GP and primary-care investment from £15.0bn/yr (current) to £22.5bn/yr (+50%) — with every other government policy left unchanged — on the NHS and the public finances, projected over 10 years.

Bottom line

Eases GP access and Hospital waits, but worsens Fiscal pressure, GDP strength and NHS staffing.

A single lever moved in isolation — which no real government does. Figures are modelled projections, not predictions. How the model works →

Direct effects

GP access

moderate improvement

Why: GP access is the front door to the NHS — investment scales appointment capacity directly, though with a 1–2y staff recruitment lag

Effect develops over 1–2 years

Knock-on effects

Reached indirectly, as the direct effects propagate through the system. Ordering reflects how the effect spreads, not a literal sequence in time.

Fiscal pressuremild
GDP strengthslight
NHS staffingslight
Social care staffingslight
Hospital waitsslight
Rent pressureslight
House pricesslight
Political riskslight
Model output — exact figures
GP access5546 (-9)
Fiscal pressure6166 (+5)
GDP strength4544 (-1)
NHS staffing7374 (+1)
Social care staffing7071 (+1)
Hospital waits6867 (-1)
Rent pressure7273 (+1)
House prices6566 (+1)
Political risk6061 (+1)

Index points on a 0–100 scale. Lower is better for pressure metrics; higher is better for outcomes like GDP and satisfaction.

GP / primary care investment: £15.0bn/yr (current) → £22.5bn/yr (+50%) · Britain 2036