GPs considering strike over funding row that could shut surgeries for a week

As reported by The Times, GP surgeries could shut for a week as part of strike action being considered in a row over funding

The British Medical Association (BMA) is preparing to ballot members over industrial action, meaning they could join junior doctors and hospital consultants on the picket lines.

A poll by Pulse magazine asked 362 GP partners — doctors who run their own surgeries — what action they would be prepared to take if the government failed to raise funding next year.

More than half said they would be willing to shut routine services for a day, preventing patients from booking appointments or receiving care, while a third said they would close services for a week.

Six in ten said they would be willing to take strike action that involved sending urgent patients and those needing a same-day appointment to A&E. Eight in ten would support reducing the number of services they provided, meaning GPs could reduce evening or weekend hours.

The BMA is in dispute with the government and NHS England over an “insulting” contract for 2023-24, which was imposed on practices in April and includes a rule that receptionists can no longer tell patients to call back later.

Professor Phil Banfield, the BMA chairman, has said the union will hold an indicative ballot of GPs unless the government negotiates a new contract that is “fit for purpose”. He said: “At this rate, the whole of the medical profession will be in dispute at the next general election.”

More than 750,000 appointments and operations have been delayed or cancelled due to a wave of NHS strikes, with junior doctors and consultants staging further strikes next month.

GPs are calling for a significant increase in investment, over the 2.1% annual raise in funding offered by the government. General practice operates under a partnership model, in which self-employed GP partners run their surgeries as small businesses and hold contracts with the NHS.

Closing surgeries would involve a significant financial cost because the salaries of staff would need to be covered. Despite this, GP partners have said they are willing to take action.

Dr Pete Deveson, of Surrey, said: “I would be delighted to join my junior and consultant colleagues in industrial action to improve the pay and conditions of NHS doctors, if such action could be effectively co-ordinated by the BMA.”

Other GPs said that strikes would add to their workloads and leave them in a “precarious financial position”. One GP told Pulse: “We do not have public opinion on our side at present. The workload is already overwhelming. Stopping for a day would just add to work the following few days. I would not want to put patients at risk.”

There is a national shortage of GPs, with 900 fewer fully-qualified full-time doctors than in 2019. Official polling finds that public satisfaction with GP services is at an all-time low, with many struggling to get an appointment.

An estimated 696,000 people went to A&Es last year because they could not see a GP. The government promised last year to improve access to GPs and give patients routine appointments within two weeks, with same-day slots for the most urgent problems.

New analysis by the Liberal Democrats shows one in six GP appointments over the past year involved waits of two weeks or more. In the year to May, 16.5 per cent of patients in England waited at least 14 days from calling for an appointment to seeing a doctor.

The Lib Dems are calling for a new right for patients to see a GP within a week or 24 hours if in urgent need.

Sir Ed Davey, the party leader, said: “The conservative government’s neglect of our local health services is having real consequences. Ministers must listen for once and come up with a plan to tackle the GP crisis.”