Practices in Northern Ireland are to get a package of investment of more than £26 million this year, it has been announced.

It will pay for advanced nurse practitioners, pharmacists, elective care services and multidisciplinary teams. The money represents nearly a tenth of the £300 million annual turnover of general practice in the region.

GP leaders welcomed the funding, which is an increase on some £37 million allocated to primary care over the last two years.

The money includes £3.9 million for premises and £2.5 million to tackle population changes. Advanced nurse practitioners will receive £1.1 million and £11.1 million for multi-disciplinary teams. There will be £18 million to help continue and “accelerate” transformation projects that began last year.

Department of Health Northern Ireland permanent secretary Richard Pengelly said: “These significant investments reflect the crucial role General Practice has in delivering health and social care to meet the needs of patients now and into the future.”

Dr Alan Stout, chair of the British Medical Association’s regional GP committee, welcomed the funding.

He said: “The transformation money that has already been spent is beginning to make a difference for GPs, helping to ease their workload and allowing frontline services to patients to be spread across a range of health staff who are best suited to addressing a patient’s needs. This increased investment will mean that more GP practices will be able to begin the process of transforming the way they deliver services.

“Patients can now see that an appointment with the GP is not always what they need and advanced nurse practitioners, physios, social workers, mental health support staff or pharmacists can provide them with the care and information they need, with the GP always there as part of that multi-disciplinary team.”