GP Collective Action

Posted on September 4th, 2024

GPs are NOT going on strike!

You may be seeing reports in the media talking about GP’s taking “industrial action” and we wish to update our patients on the reality of.

Though you may have heard this referred to in the media as industrial action, this is factually incorrect. This is not industrial action. We are not on strike. This is “collective action” which is about working legitimately within our contracts. We will not be doing anything that compromises your safety, and we will not currently be going on strike. But we are fighting to be able to provide better services to you.

The British Medical Association (BMA – the registered trade union for doctors) recently undertook a ballot of all GPs who hold a contract to provide GP services to patients – the vast majority of GP practices are independent partnerships holding an NHS contract. The ballot asked if GP partners were prepared to participate in joint (“collective”) action with the BMA. An overwhelming majority across Lincolnshire and the UK said yes, including The Ruskington Medical Practice

This is NOT about pay but about General Practice receiving the amount of funding to employ enough doctors, nurses and other staff to provide sufficient appointments and for our staff to work safely.

98.3% of GPs have voted in favour of taking one or more of the GPC England’s promoted lists of Collective Action.   GP practices will remain open, and no proposed action will create a breach of their contracts.

Why GPs are engaging in this collective action

As GPs, we have for years been doing work that is not funded and not contracted due to gaps in commissioned services and pressures in secondary care (hospital) services; we have been doing so out of concern for our patients and to ensure that you continue to receive the care you deserve. However, with chronic underfunding and increased demand it is no longer sustainable for us to continue working in this way.

Across the country, since 2015, we have seen 1600 Practices close or merge, there are 6 million more registered patients needing care and support and 2000 fewer full time equivalent GPs. Our funding levels are significantly lower than 2018 levels.

General Practice funding is less than £108 per patient per year, this equates to at most 2-3 contacts per year per patient, compared to the cost of an outpatient appointment estimated to start at £130-£400 as per the King’s fund estimates, there is something about demand and reasonable expectation.  The £108 per patient, is to run practice premises and employ staff, this is not enough for GPs to employ enough staff to give patients the care they deserve. Less than 10% of the total NHS funding is allocated to primary care and this is a decreasing percentage, with increasing workload i.e. more than 90% of NHS work is done in primary care and this is an increasing percentage.

 What have GPs agreed to do as collective action

• GPs are not going to carry out work that they are not contracted to do.
• Referrals – they will not complete unnecessary forms and templates but will still provide the information that is required.
• Monitoring – they will not provide monitoring of some services, which they will give notice on.
• Number of contacts – they will limit, to a recommended safe number, of contacts per day, others will be diverted to local urgent care settings, once the maximum capacity has been reached

How will this affect your care

No patients care will be put at risk, it may be that patients will be diverted to local urgent care settings once the GP’s have reached their maximum capacity, we hope that patients will not notice much of a change with the service their GPs are still providing.

What we ask of our patients

We ask that you support your GP’s before it is to late, we don’t want to lose GP’s or their Practices.

It is surely very revealing that NHS England have expressed concerns about the impact of General Practitioners, simply choosing to do only what they are contracted and appropriately resourced to do; this demonstrates how their goodwill and commitment to doing the best for their patients has been systematically exploited and relied on.