- The BMA said GP industrial action could continue into the autumn and winter
- There is a risk that hospitals will be overwhelmed as patients who cannot see a GP flock to emergency departments
GPs have resigned from the threat of a strike ahead of the general election in a move that would cause further misery for patients and the government.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said strike action by GPs could extend into the autumn and winter, forcing MPs to talk about it ‘on the doorstep’ during their election campaign.
There is a risk that hospitals will become overwhelmed as patients who cannot see a GP flock to emergency rooms for care.
The threat comes just days after union trainee doctors ended a disruptive six-day strike – the longest in the history of the NHS.
Their actions led to a series of critical incidents and the cancellation of more than 113,000 appointments and surgeries.
Separate figures show that only 68.3 per cent of appointments took place face-to-face in November – down from around 80 per cent before the pandemic. It is also the lowest figure so far this year
GP workforce data for May 2023 shows there are 27,200 fully qualified GPs in England. This is a decrease compared to the 27,627 a year earlier. The GP number peaked in March 2016 at 29,537
The graph shows the ratio of GP patients to practices since 2015, with an average of 9,755 patients per surgery in May 2023
Dr. Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of the BMA’s GP committee, said GPs will vote in a referendum next month on whether to accept the terms of a new NHS contract.
If NHS England and the Department of Health impose a contract rejected by the BMA – as has happened before – then there will be another vote on industrial action, she added.
Dr. Bramall-Stainer told GP magazine Pulse: ‘If NHS England and the Department of Health feel that from April they should impose a contract that we do not agree with, and if an indicative vote shows that this is felt strongly enough by the profession, then I think we should proceed to a formal vote after April.
‘I saw that happening until the summer.
‘And then I could see us looking at creating a menu of collective action that could be cumulative, sequential or supplemented with longer-term action in the background.
‘I see this collective action taking place into the autumn and even into the winter. And of course we know what happens in the fall and winter: general elections.
‘So if we have to go down this path, we will provide access and protection to your local GP, in your GP surgery, to the doorbell call during the election campaign – whatever is needed, and it’s time we make it clear to the public . and called out what is happening to us as a profession.’
The GP committee is still negotiating with the government and NHS England over next year’s GP contract.
The current five-year GP contract expires in March and BMA is interviewing GPs about their wishes for the future agreement.
Public opinion of GPs fell to an all-time low after the pandemic as patients struggled to get face-to-face appointments and had to endure 8am calls to get to the phone.
The latest NHS figures show that GP partners, who have their own practices and make up the majority of the workforce, earned an average of £153,400 in 2021/2022.
However, fewer than one in four (22 percent) fully qualified permanent GPs work full-time, while one in twelve (8 percent) works 15 hours or less per week.
Dennis Reed, director of over-60s campaign group Silver Voices, said: ‘This sounds like sabre-rattling by the BMA as part of their negotiations.
‘I hope for everyone’s sake that an agreement is reached, because more strikes are the last thing patients need right now.
‘GP services are already crumbling, with some people having to wait weeks for a face-to-face appointment.
‘If waiting times become longer, it will mean more pain for patients.’