NEWS: New tool tracks GP overtime hours

As reported by GP Online, a new BMA tool helps GPs log extra work hours to ensure fair pay and sustainable workloads., after polling showed many salaried GPs work unpaid extra hours

He said: ‘We found from the survey that salaried GPs were on average working around 25% above their contracted hours. So if you are working a four-day week, you are actually working five days, but only being paid four.’

Dr Steggles said the tool was developed so that GPs can ‘evidence’ their workload to an employer to ensure their workload is ‘safe and sustainable’. Although the tool was developed with salaried GPs in mind, he added: ‘It’s not just for sessional GPs. All GPs can use this to track their work as so much is invisible.’

Hidden GP work

He said: ‘Lots of work that GPs do is hidden. Everybody thinks of general practice as seeing patients, but there is a high amount of admin, meetings, planning and operational stuff that goes on behind closed doors. Often that isn’t incorporated in someone’s job plan and people have to take a laptop home to keep up with work.’

A GMC report published last year warned that doctors were being driven out of the NHS by a vicious cycle of a heavy workload, dissatisfaction and burnout – and that general practice was the hardest-hit medical speciality.

In October 2023, the BMA sessional GP committee released guidance recommending salaried GPs agree to an hourly rate above their standard pay to reflect the fact that ‘overtime does not accrue employment benefits like annual leave, CPD or pension contributions’.

The BMA has said that overtime worked by salaried GPs is forcing them to leave their jobs or the profession and that ‘addressing this issue is therefore a matter of wellbeing, fairness and retention’.

BMA model contract

If GPs aren’t employed under the BMA model contract they can ‘insist’ the hours in their contract ‘are respected and they can ask for fair remuneration or time off in lieu’ for any additional time they work, the guidance says.

GP Diary can be used on a mobile phone or desktop and weekly comparison reports can be downloaded. The tool can be used to track and monitor work activities to gain insight on working patterns. Work meetings can also be added, as well as multiple employers.

While the programme does collect data that the GPs put into it, all the information will be kept confidential, said Dr Steggles.