'Additional strain on health services' if GPs vote yes to 'collective action'

Rotherham Place medical director at NHS South Yorkshire Dr Jason Page told yesterday's council health and wellbeing board meeting at Rotherham Town Hall, if action was to go ahead, it would “create additional strain in our other primary care services.”

Collective action is not the same as strike action, but it could see GPs prioritising their patients’ and practices' needs over local NHS system wants, Dr Page said, with the British Medical Association listing 16 measures doctors may implement – including seeing a maximum of 25 patients a day, whereas GPs often see 70.

They may also pull out from data sharing agreements, or offer face-to-face appointments only.

Dr Page said 27 out of Rotherham's 28 practices were part of the partnership model and would each vote individually.

The BMA’s ballot opened last Monday (June 17) for GPs in England and closes at midday on Monday (July 29), with the BMA seeking to take action from August 1.

The decision to ballot came after the BMA formally entered a dispute with NHS England following the member referendum on the 2024/25 GMS contract changes in March.

​Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of 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 – rightfully rejected the government and NHS England’s 2024/25 GP contract changes.

“Despite numerous warnings and their refusal to improve the contract, we’ve been left with no choice but to take action to save general practice.”