Family doctors could go on strike

GPs could take industrial action as they begin voting on possible ‘collective action’

General practitioners could face industrial action from the beginning of August, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced today, June 17. The union’s members, who manage GPs in their practices, will vote on whether they support the BMA’s call for action.

The decision to launch the vote followed GPs’ rejection of the government’s proposed changes to their contracts. GPs had already fought against the contract changes in March and started a formal dispute with the NHS.

Collective action is not the same as strike action but could include closing practice rolls to new patients or working to rule. It could also result in “GPs prioritising the needs of their patients over the decisions of the local NHS system, withdrawing from data sharing arrangements or defying NHS England by defaulting to face-to-face appointments instead,” the BMA said.

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The BMA said GPs were “frustrated, angry and upset” and claimed the deal would give practices a “well below inflation 1.9 per cent increase in the base funding of their practice contracts”.

The doctors’ union warned that the enforcement of the collective agreement would result in many practices having to close as “many would struggle to survive financially.”

More than 19,000 general practitioners and GP assistants took part in the union’s referendum. When asked whether they would accept the deal, 99.2 percent voted “no.”

The BMA’s collective action ballot opens today for GPs in England and closes at 12pm on Monday 29 July.

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee in England, said: “Over 99 per cent of our members who responded, that’s more than 19,000 GPs and GP trainees, have rightly rejected the Government and NHS England’s contract changes for 2024/25. Despite numerous warnings and their refusal to improve the contract, we are left with no choice but to take action to save general practice.

“I urge all GP partners and contractors to vote ‘yes’ and show the next government that GPs can no longer endure running their practices with ever fewer resources while demand continues to rise. We want to provide a high quality service to our patients but it is becoming increasingly clear and our patients can see for themselves – without sufficient investment and more GPs in our practices we simply cannot do this.”

The BMA added that while discussions were ongoing, nothing had been finalised and any plans under review were subject to change.

The BMA will take action from 1 August 2024. The GP Committee for England is urging all members to vote ‘yes’. The vote will “send a message to the NHSE that GPs and their practice teams are ready to work together to deliver better services for patients and protect practices,” the union said.

After the contract changes were rejected, a Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We greatly value the work of GPs and their teams and it is disappointing that the BMA voted against the contract.”

“This will cut red tape, allowing GPs to spend more time with patients and have more autonomy in running local practices. Further pay increases could be made following the Government’s response to the Independent Review Commission into Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration.

“There are now 800 more doctors working in general practice compared to February last year, and last year the NHS made 50 million more appointments with GPs than five years ago.”