Network Contract DES (NCD) Payments 2025-2026
Background
Investment and evolution: The five-year framework for GP contract reform to implement The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, describes significant investment in Primary Care Networks (PCNs) through the Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES).
The seventh year of the Network Contract DES will begin in April 2025, the data being collected covers Early Cancer Diagnosis, Structured Medication Reviews and Tackling neighbourhood Inequalities.
Purpose and outline
The purpose is to support NHS England (NHSE) by providing the relevant data/information that is used by PCNs/practices and commissioners to acknowledge achievement and ultimately ensure payment is accurate and in line with the enhanced service specification.
How this service is commissioned and provided
NHS England service specification, guidance and technical requirements will be published here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/gp/investment/gp-contract/
The requirements for this Service are covered by the Enhanced Service specification.
2025/26: Information about this service
Quality service start date: 1 April 2025
Quality service end date: 31 March 2026
Payment period: Annually
Collection frequency: Monthly
Manual or automatic entry: Automatic data collection
Co-commissioning: No
Service user guides
The below links to user guides describe manually enter and declare achievement for this service. Activity and achievement should be recorded monthly:
Manually inputting Achievement data
Declaring an achievement for payment
Network Contract DES (NCD) 2025/26 Year End Checklist
The below lists the year-end actions required to ensure an accurate NCD achievement calculation:
- Check PCN membership
Commissioner to verify all practices with an active PCN membership have had their NCD2025/26 service offered and auto accepted on their behalf.
2. Check CRP figure
Please check the CRP figure for practices within your PCNs if there has been or will be a change of circumstances that will affect the Patient list size that is utilised in the year-end NCD Achievement calculation, we recommend checking the CRP figure against 1st January 2026 and if a change is required submit the amendment form to: support@cqrs.co.uk by 31st March 2026 end of day to enable an accurate achievement calculation.
3. Input missing data
Commissioner to input any missing NCD indicator level data into CQRS. A guide on how to identify missing data for the NCD2025/26 service can be found on the NHS Futures site.
4. Confirm subject to declare indicators
Ensure the ‘Subject to declare’ indicators CAN04 and HI03 have been declared by the service provider.
5. Declare Achievement
PCNs are to declare achievement once all data has been inputted either by automated extraction or manual entry, achievement has calculated and all subject to declare indicators have been approved by the service provider.
6. Financially approve payments
Financially approve achievement to ensure a payment by the payment agency (PCSE).
Network Contract DES (NCD) 2025/26 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
This below features Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Network Contract DES (NCD) 2025/26.
What is the value of a NCD 2025/26 point?
The value of the NCD £ per point is £198.00.
How is Data collected for this service?
Data is collected monthly by the data suppliers who extract data from clinical systems.
What happens when a practice leaves a PCN but does not join another?
The Commissioner is to report this to ODS who will send us the PCN end date. Once received, this will automatically end the participation of the service for the practice, and no further action is required by the Commissioner. Failure to follow this process will result in incorrect calculations at year end. Commissioners are not to apply service end dates within CQRS.
Once I have financially approved the payment can I amend it?
Please ensure you have checked your NCD 2025/26 Achievement before you financially approve as it cannot be amended once submitted and will have to be manually corrected off system if required later.
Is there an Aspiration payment for NCD 2025/26?
No, there has been no aspiration payment for the NCD 2025/26 Service.
Who can amend data for NCD 2025/26?
Only commissioners can amend data for the NCD 2025/26 indicators.
How do amend figures on the system for NCD 2025/26?
Please see the following guidance on how to amend manually submitted data: https://welcome.cqrs.nhs.uk/training/adjusting-manually-submitted-data/
If the August payment date is missed will there be another opportunity to get PCNs paid? I’m conscious that PCNs contesting their achievement in certain indicators can take some time to resolve for ICB colleagues.
PCNs calculations can be approved following resolution of the dispute at any point. They will be paid in conjunction with the next appropriate payment run for PCNs. We have highlighted June, July, and August because they are within the time set out in the specification documents. The calculation process is reliant on an aggregation calculation taking place in CQRS and the frequency of that aggregation is substantially reduced later in the financial year.
What would happen if a practice clinical system merger takes place in April prior to all the external data source feed into NCD achievement?
Mergers depend on the timing and request of the GP Clinical System Supplier (GPSS), particularly if the practices merging are on different systems. Practices and commissioners should speak with the GPSS to understand what the merger will do with the data and how the extractions taking place in April will be affected. Appropriate adjustments will need to be made where required.
What will happen if a PCN added manual data on CQRS before the automatic extraction? Will the automatic data override the manually added indicators?
Manually entered data for automatic indicators will be overwritten if an extraction takes place. Please note the timing of manual entry.
What happens when a practice moves PCNs during the financial year?
Scenario 1
If a practice leaves a PCN and is NOT joining another, the Commissioner is to report this to ODS who will then send us a PCN end date. Once the PCN end date is received, the practice will be removed from the PCN in CQRS and from any PCN service participation.
Scenario 2
If a practice leaves a PCN and joins another, the Commissioner is to report the change to ODS who will then send CQRS helpdesk the PCN end date for the old PCN and the start date of the new PCN. The Commissioner will then need to cancel the service offer under the old PCN, re-offer the service under the new PCN to pick the joined practice up and then re-offer the service back to the old PCN.
If a Commissioner does not follow the above processes and they apply a service end date to the practice in the service offer instead, the achievement will not aggregate and will become stuck in the ‘awaiting network achievement’ status. This is because the system still has the practice linked to the PCN and is awaiting its data. The Commissioner will need to make an off the system payment and report the change to ODS for achievements moving forward.
If the Commissioner has applied a service end date and then contacted ODS, the system will not update the change until the Commissioner has removed the service end date. As soon as they amend the service end date back to its original end date, the file will process overnight within CQRS and remove the practice from the PCN.
If a practice leaves a PCN and is NOT joining another, the Commissioner is to report this to ODS who will then send us a PCN end date. Once the PCN end date is received, the practice will be removed from the PCN in CQRS and from any PCN service participation.
Scenario 2
If a practice leaves a PCN and joins another, the Commissioner is to report the change to ODS who will then send CQRS helpdesk the PCN end date for the old PCN and the start date of the new PCN. The Commissioner will then need to cancel the service offer under the old PCN, re-offer the service under the new PCN to pick the joined practice up and then re-offer the service back to the old PCN.
If a Commissioner does not follow the above processes and they apply a service end date to the practice in the service offer instead, the achievement will not aggregate and will become stuck in the ‘awaiting network achievement’ status. This is because the system still has the practice linked to the PCN and is awaiting its data. The Commissioner will need to make an off the system payment and report the change to ODS for achievements moving forward.
If the Commissioner has applied a service end date and then contacted ODS, the system will not update the change until the Commissioner has removed the service end date. As soon as they amend the service end date back to its original end date, the file will process overnight within CQRS and remove the practice from the PCN.
Do I have to manually enter any data for NCD?
There is no indicator that requires manual submission for the NCD2025/26 service, however, there is a requirement to manually enter data for any missing indicators under the Data Submission tab. Practices are to check and identify missing data for the NCD service. Guidance on how to identify missing data can be found here.
Once achievement has calculated, it will be available to be declared by the PCN. If there is missing management information data, this will be held in the ‘Service Provider Approved – Awaiting Data’ status until all data has been submitted.
Once achievement has calculated, it will be available to be declared by the PCN. If there is missing management information data, this will be held in the ‘Service Provider Approved – Awaiting Data’ status until all data has been submitted.
Where does the data come from into CQRS?
Data is extracted and transmitted to CQRS for NCD from the following data source:
– General Practice Extraction Service (GPES). Further information can be found at: Network Contract DES (NCD) NHS England Digital
– General Practice Extraction Service (GPES). Further information can be found at: Network Contract DES (NCD) NHS England Digital
At what level is data calculated for NCD?
NCD data is calculated at PCN level. This means that each practice within the PCN will have data extracted individually which is then aggregated (totalled/added together) to produce an overall achievement. This achievement is for the whole PCN (all practices achievements added together).
Where can practices view their data on CQRS after extraction?
After extraction, practices can view their data under the data submission tab when logged in as the practice.
What is the process for service providers (PCNs) to dispute their data?
The contract specification contains the process if the PCN understands that the data in CQRS is inaccurate. The PCN should engage their commissioner and provide evidence so that the amendments to the data can be considered and applied if agreed.
What happens if a practice does not dispute their data?
If a practice does not dispute their data and are happy with all the figures, they are to let their PCN Nominated Payee know so that the data can be aggregated as final figures for the PCN.
If a PCN/Commissioner does not enter their data before aggregation, will there be further opportunities to enter their data?
If any practice data is missing, there will be a further opportunity to enter the data on CQRS and have it financially approved ahead of a re-run of aggregation for the final August payment. The deadline for this will be confirmed in due course.
Is the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) processed on CQRS?
The ARRS is not processed on CQRS. A link to the system for ARRS claims can be found here: https://www.primarycareworkforce.nhs.uk/
Who declares NCD achievement at PCN level?
There are usually 2 users nominated as the PCN Nominated Payee for each PCN. Once all GP Practices within the PCN have confirmed the data, it is the responsibility of the PCN Nominated Payee to declare the NCD achievement. This achievement amount is the overall figure for all practices within the PCN.
How can the PCN Nominated Payee view the overall achievement?
The PCN Nominated Payee can run the achievement summary report against 31/03/2026 to view the overall amount. This can be done by following the steps below:
– Go to Reports tab
– Go to Achievement subtab
– Go to Achievement summary report
– Select the financial year
– Leave the payment types
– Select the service
– Ensure the PCN is ticked
– Select 31/03/2026 achievement date
– Run report
They can drill down into each domain to check the overall achievements for each area.
They can also view the achievement via the dashboard. This can be done by following the steps below:
– Go to Achievements tab
– Go to Network declaration management sub-tab
– Select the financial year
– Select the service
– Select the achievement date
– Go to Reports tab
– Go to Achievement subtab
– Go to Achievement summary report
– Select the financial year
– Leave the payment types
– Select the service
– Ensure the PCN is ticked
– Select 31/03/2026 achievement date
– Run report
They can drill down into each domain to check the overall achievements for each area.
They can also view the achievement via the dashboard. This can be done by following the steps below:
– Go to Achievements tab
– Go to Network declaration management sub-tab
– Select the financial year
– Select the service
– Select the achievement date
How can a GP practice User check their NCD data?
A GP practice can check their data by following the below steps:
– Go to Data submission tab
– Select the financial year
– Select the service
– Select the achievement date from the ‘last updated’ section
– Click the relevant domain and check figures in the indicators
– Go to Data submission tab
– Select the financial year
– Select the service
– Select the achievement date from the ‘last updated’ section
– Click the relevant domain and check figures in the indicators
How can I run a GP Practice PCN performance report?
A GP practice PCN performance report can be run by following the below steps:
– Go to report tab
– Go to Data entry subtab
– Go to GP Practice PCN performance
– Select the financial year
– Select the service
– Ensure the practice code is populated and tick the check box to the left
– Select the achievement date
– Run report
The report will download as an excel document. It will only display data and not achievement amounts.
They can also view the achievement via the dashboard if they have the PCN view permission. This can be done by following the steps below:
– Go to Achievements tab
– Go to Network declaration management sub-tab
– Select the financial year
– Select the service
– Select the achievement date
– Go to report tab
– Go to Data entry subtab
– Go to GP Practice PCN performance
– Select the financial year
– Select the service
– Ensure the practice code is populated and tick the check box to the left
– Select the achievement date
– Run report
The report will download as an excel document. It will only display data and not achievement amounts.
They can also view the achievement via the dashboard if they have the PCN view permission. This can be done by following the steps below:
– Go to Achievements tab
– Go to Network declaration management sub-tab
– Select the financial year
– Select the service
– Select the achievement date
What happens after achievement has been declared?
Once the achievement has been declared it is sent to the Commissioner for the first level approval as the overall achievement amount.
How does the commissioner approve the achievement?
The Commissioner will need to approve the achievement by following the below steps:
– Go to Achievements tab
– Select the financial year
– Select the ‘awaiting commissioning organisation approval’ status
– Select the service
– Parent organisation to be ‘all’
– The achievement to and from date should auto populate
– Select the relevant achievements
– Select ‘approve’
The second level approval will then need to be made which is the same steps as first level approval but changing the status:
– Go to Achievements tab
– Select the financial year
– Select the ‘awaiting financial approval’ status
– Select the service
– Parent organisation to be ‘all’
– The achievement to and from date should auto populate
– Select the relevant achievements
– Select ‘approve’
– Go to Achievements tab
– Select the financial year
– Select the ‘awaiting commissioning organisation approval’ status
– Select the service
– Parent organisation to be ‘all’
– The achievement to and from date should auto populate
– Select the relevant achievements
– Select ‘approve’
The second level approval will then need to be made which is the same steps as first level approval but changing the status:
– Go to Achievements tab
– Select the financial year
– Select the ‘awaiting financial approval’ status
– Select the service
– Parent organisation to be ‘all’
– The achievement to and from date should auto populate
– Select the relevant achievements
– Select ‘approve’
How can the Commissioner view the data before the calculation?
Commissioners can run the bulk achievement report for all practices to see data by using the following steps:
– Go to Reports tab
– Go to Achievement subtab
– Go to Bulk achievement export
– Select the financial year
– Select the payment type
– Select the service
– Select the start and end date
– Run report
The report will download and will open in excel format and shows data only but no achievement values.
– Go to Reports tab
– Go to Achievement subtab
– Go to Bulk achievement export
– Select the financial year
– Select the payment type
– Select the service
– Select the start and end date
– Run report
The report will download and will open in excel format and shows data only but no achievement values.
How can the Commissioner view the achievements after the calculation?
The Commissioner can run the provider payment declaration report to view the overall achievement amount. They cannot view data at individual practice level. This can be done by following the steps below:
– Go to Reports tab
– Go to Declaration subtab
– Go to Provider payment declaration report tab
– Select the financial year
– Leave the payment types
– Select the service
– Select ‘all’ practices
– Run report
Please note if the nominated payee is not a GP Practice, the report will display as ‘awaiting data’. This is because the report is only designed to show amounts for PCN’s whose nominated payee is a GP Practice.
If the nominated payee is not a GP Practice, payment is not sent to PCSE – the Commissioner is to handle this off the system.
The Commissioner can also run the DPA report which will display at PCN level (overall amount):
– Go to Report tab
– Go to Achievement subtab
– Select Detailed provider achievement report
– Select the financial year
– Ignore the payment types
– Select the service
– Select the PCNs
– Select the achievement date
– Run report
– Go to Reports tab
– Go to Declaration subtab
– Go to Provider payment declaration report tab
– Select the financial year
– Leave the payment types
– Select the service
– Select ‘all’ practices
– Run report
Please note if the nominated payee is not a GP Practice, the report will display as ‘awaiting data’. This is because the report is only designed to show amounts for PCN’s whose nominated payee is a GP Practice.
If the nominated payee is not a GP Practice, payment is not sent to PCSE – the Commissioner is to handle this off the system.
The Commissioner can also run the DPA report which will display at PCN level (overall amount):
– Go to Report tab
– Go to Achievement subtab
– Select Detailed provider achievement report
– Select the financial year
– Ignore the payment types
– Select the service
– Select the PCNs
– Select the achievement date
– Run report
How long can reaggregation take place on CQRS?
The reaggregation job is carried out every day overnight in CQRS. This is currently set for twelve (12) months from the 31st of March 2026 Achievement date.
When will I see NCD achievement data in CQRS?
Achievement for NCD2025/26 service is expected to become available to view on Thursday 21st May 2026.
How do I check PCN Membership and Offers?
PCN Membership
Network Organisation Relationship report Guide- How to check a PCN relationship in CQRS National
PCN Service Offers
To run the report for a list of practices who have an offer under a PCN
– Click Participation Management Tab
– Navigate to Manage Services
– Click Offered services
– Select Financial year- 2025/26
– Select Network Contract DES 2025/26
– Select the PCN
It is advised that the membership results are cross-referenced to the service offers in CQRS to identify if any practices have offers yet to be cancelled under old PCNs where Practices have left or joined and reoffered under their new PCN.
Network Organisation Relationship report Guide- How to check a PCN relationship in CQRS National
PCN Service Offers
To run the report for a list of practices who have an offer under a PCN
– Click Participation Management Tab
– Navigate to Manage Services
– Click Offered services
– Select Financial year- 2025/26
– Select Network Contract DES 2025/26
– Select the PCN
It is advised that the membership results are cross-referenced to the service offers in CQRS to identify if any practices have offers yet to be cancelled under old PCNs where Practices have left or joined and reoffered under their new PCN.
Network Contract DES (NCD) 2025/26 Indicator List
Indicator IDs
CAN04
HI03
SMR01A
SMR01B
SMR01C
SMR01D
SMR03
HI21
HI03
SMR01A
SMR01B
SMR01C
SMR01D
SMR03
HI21
For more information about Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES), please visit the NHS England website.