France santé promises better GP access

France has announced plans to rollout a new nationwide health network aimed at tackling the country’s chronic shortage of doctors and often long waits for appointments, particularly in so-called ‘medical deserts’.

The Réseau France Santé promises that patients will be able to reach a local health service within 30 minutes and, when necessary, see a healthcare professional within 48 hours – a benchmark the government hopes will restore fairness and consistency to access to primary care.

France Santé labels – that is, officially recognises and supports – existing and new health structures that meet clear standards for accessibility, coordination, and basic services.

These include traditional settings such as multi-professional health centres, grouped doctors’ surgeries, and small local hospitals. 

The label can also apply to outreach services such as mobile health buses and telehealth-equipped pharmacies.

Read our help guide: healthcare in France

To qualify for the France Santé label, each structure must meet criteria including:

• Having a general practitioner doctor willing to take on new patients as médecin traitant as well as a nurse either on site or nearby
• Being open at least five days a week
• Offering appointments without extra (out-of-pocket) fees, and
• Providing consultations within 48 hours when health conditions require it.

Structures must also take part in the Service d’accès aux soins (SAS) – a system that helps keep primary care available at all times and which is accessed by calling 15.

This is aimed at helping ease the problem of medical deserts: long waits for consultations, and uneven availability of doctors across some urban, suburban, and rural territories.

By coordination and funding linked to the new label, the government wants to improve the level of care available locally.

France Santé is inspired by similar neighbourhood networks such as France Services, which help people access administrative support locally.

The rollout is being managed regionally by the Agences régionales de santé (ARS), in partnership with Assurance Maladie and prefectures. 

The plan is backed by about €130 million in funding in 2026, with a target of 2,000 labelled services by mid-2026 and ultimately up to 5,000 by 2027. 

Support is especially focused on the most fragile territories, with few doctors or health facilities to ensure benefits reach communities where they are needed most.

If it succeeds, France Santé could help make everyday healthcare easier, reduce waiting times, and bring more consistency and fairness to how primary care is delivered.

The Ile-de-France region is among those which has been pioneering the scheme, stating that around 120 maisons France Santé were expected to be labelled by the end of the year by the ARS.

It said once each set-up is validated with the label – whether it is an existing structure or one that is about to be set up – it qualifies for around €50,000 on average to help reinforce its care teams, improve the support for patients, and to modernise equipment and organisation. 

These articles are edited extracts from our Healthcare guide and our Inheritance Law help guide, which includes a chapter on dependency.

The guide is available in digital format, for €19.50, at shop.connexionfrance.com.