The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS)
Your complete guide to ARRS funding, eligible roles and how to maximise your PCN allocation.
The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS)
Your complete guide to ARRS funding, eligible roles and how to maximise your PCN allocation.
What is the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme?
The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) is part of the NHS Long Term Plan. It helps Primary Care Networks (PCNs) expand their workforce and deliver more personalised, proactive care. Through ARRS, PCNs can claim funding to employ a wide range of healthcare professionals, including clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physiotherapists, and social prescribing link workers.
ARRS funding helps reduce GP workload, improve access to care, and strengthen multidisciplinary teams in primary care. Each PCN receives a set allocation to recruit additional roles based on its patient population and workforce needs.
Who can benefit from ARRS funding?
ARRS funding is available to all established Primary Care Networks in England. It supports practices and PCNs that want to:
Increase clinical capacity without increasing GP workload
Improve patient outcomes through specialist multidisciplinary teams
Make full use of available NHS funding before the end of the financial year
Deliver consistent care across their network
That is where Agentis Healthcare can help
Recruitment, training, and system integration can create challenges. Our ARRS-aligned team deploys from day one.
The ARRS Roles List (Updated for 2025/26)
Clinical Pharmacists
Pharmacy Technicians
First Contact Physiotherapists
Paramedics
Physician Associates
Mental Health Practitioners
Care Coordinators
Health and Wellbeing Coaches
Occupational Therapists
Social Prescribing Link Workers
Nursing Associates
Dietitians
Podiatrists
Common ARRS Challenges and How to Overcome Them
While the ARRS scheme offers major benefits, many PCNs find it difficult to make full use of the funding due to:
Recruitment barriers that delay hiring
Time spent on training and onboarding
Unused allocations caused by staff shortages
New roles increasing admin rather than reducing it
Agentis Healthcare removes these obstacles.
Our clinical pharmacists and pharmacy technicians integrate remotely into your systems (EMIS, SystmOne, Docman, Accurx) to manage medicines optimisation, long-term condition reviews, and workflow support. This enables PCNs to use their ARRS funding immediately without recruitment delays or training costs.
The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme remains one of the NHS’s most powerful mechanisms for workforce transformation.
However, funding alone is not enough. PCNs need systems that support ARRS staff, maintain service quality, and ensure every role delivers value.
Agentis Healthcare provides an ARRS-optimised solution that bridges workforce gaps, enhances medicines management, and helps PCNs achieve measurable impact.
How Agentis Healthcare maximises ARRS funding impact
Agentis Healthcare is a streamlined primary care support service built specifically for Primary Care Networks.
Through a combination of clinical pharmacist support, medicines optimisation, and long-term condition management, Agentis Healthcare strengthens PCN pharmacy capacity without increasing recruitment or supervision demands.
Designed to reduce GP workload and support QOF and IIF performance, the service allows networks to make full use of their ARRS-funded roles while maintaining quality and consistency of care.
Turning ARRS funding into reduced GP workload, better patient outcomes and stronger QOF performance.
Expand capacity through virtual clinical pharmacy expertise
Maintain high-quality medicines management across all practices
Access specialist input without adding full-time staff
Improve prescribing safety and efficiency
Demonstrate outcomes aligned with NHS priorities
FAQs about ARRS
What does ARRS stand for?
ARRS stands for the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, which is part of the NHS Long Term Plan to fund new roles within Primary Care Networks.
How does ARRS funding work?
Each PCN receives an annual funding allocation to recruit or contract additional roles. The NHS reimburses PCNs for the salary, National Insurance, and pension costs of eligible roles up to a set limit.
What roles are eligible for ARRS funding?
Roles include clinical pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, mental health practitioners, physiotherapists, paramedics, and more. NHS England updates the official list each year.
How can PCNs claim unused ARRS funding?
Claims are submitted through the PCN’s lead practice or Integrated Care Board. Working with a service such as Agentis Healthcare allows PCNs to deploy ARRS-funded staff rapidly and avoid underutilisation.
How can Agentis Healthcare help PCNs use their ARRS allocation?
Our service provides remote clinical pharmacy support, enabling PCNs to access ARRS-funded capacity immediately without the challenges of recruitment or training.
The utilisation of funding for services provided by Agentis is determined by local procurement arrangements and the respective decision-making processes of practices and Primary Care Networks.
Agentis has no ability to influence or bypass these statutory or locally governed processes