Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS)

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A funding programme enabling Primary Care Networks to recruit additional healthcare professionals to expand multidisciplinary teams in GP practices.

What is the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS)?

What is ?

The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) is a key NHS England initiative designed to expand the primary care workforce. Introduced as part of the NHS Long Term Plan, it provides funding to Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to employ a wider range of healthcare professionals, including clinical pharmacists, social prescribing link workers, physiotherapists, and mental health practitioners. By reimbursing PCNs for these roles, ARRS aims to reduce GP workload, improve patient access, and deliver more integrated care within local communities.

Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) Best Practices

What is ?

  • Conduct workforce planning based on local population health needs to determine which ARRS roles will have the greatest impact
  • Develop clear job descriptions and induction programmes for ARRS staff to ensure effective integration into the PCN
  • Establish robust supervision and mentoring frameworks to support professionals in ARRS roles
  • Create systems for measuring ARRS roles' impact on patient outcomes and GP workload
  • Collaborate with local healthcare partners to ensure complementary workforce development

Use Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) in a Sentence

What is ?

  1. Through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), our Primary Care Network has recruited two clinical pharmacists who now manage medication reviews.
  2. The government has expanded the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) to include new roles such as paramedics and mental health practitioners.
  3. PCNs are encouraged to utilise their full Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) allocation to build multidisciplinary teams that address local health inequalities.
Frequently Asked Questions about
Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS)

What does Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) mean?

The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) is an NHS England funding programme that enables Primary Care Networks to employ a range of healthcare professionals beyond traditional GP roles. The scheme covers up to 100% of the actual salary and employer on-costs for eligible roles, including clinical pharmacists, social prescribing link workers, physiotherapists, and mental health practitioners, among others. It aims to expand the primary care workforce, reduce GP workload, and improve patient access to specialised care within their local GP practice.

Which healthcare professionals can be recruited through the ARRS?

The ARRS currently supports recruitment for several healthcare professional roles including clinical pharmacists, social prescribing link workers, physician associates, first contact physiotherapists, paramedics, dietitians, podiatrists, occupational therapists, nursing associates, mental health practitioners, and health and wellbeing coaches. The list has expanded since the scheme's introduction in 2019, with NHS England periodically reviewing and adding new eligible roles based on primary care needs and workforce planning.

How does ARRS funding work for Primary Care Networks?

ARRS provides reimbursement of up to 100% of the actual salary and employer on-costs for eligible healthcare professionals, up to a maximum amount per role. Each PCN receives an allocation based on their weighted patient population, which determines their overall ARRS budget. PCNs must claim the reimbursement monthly through their Clinical Commissioning Group (now Integrated Care Board) after employing the staff. There are workforce planning requirements, including submission of plans showing how roles will be utilised and integrated into the network's service delivery model.

What benefits does ARRS bring to patients?

ARRS brings numerous benefits to patients through expanded multidisciplinary teams in primary care. Patients gain improved access to specialist healthcare professionals without hospital referrals, shorter waiting times for certain services, more personalised care from practitioners with specific expertise, better care coordination across health and social care, enhanced preventative healthcare services, and more comprehensive management of long-term conditions. The scheme helps deliver more holistic patient care within the community setting.

What challenges do PCNs face when implementing ARRS?

PCNs often face several challenges when implementing ARRS, including recruitment difficulties in certain geographical areas or for specific roles, limited physical space in GP practices to accommodate additional staff, developing effective supervision frameworks for diverse professionals, ensuring equitable access to ARRS practitioners across all network practices, and measuring the impact of new roles on both patient outcomes and GP workload. Some PCNs also report administrative burden related to the funding claims process and workforce reporting requirements.

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