The BMA has announced that it is planning for potential GP action to commence on 1 August.
The union will ballot GP partners on ‘collective action’ following a successful vote at the GP Committee England meeting last week.
Now it has confirmed that the ballot will open on Monday 17 June and close on Monday 29 July ahead of action commencing from Thursday 1 August, depending on the result of the ballot.
In an update, GPC England chair Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer said that the ballot, which will happen online, will outline a menu of actions ‘which will not breach GP contracts’.
As part of the action, GP partners may be directed to stop fit notes, prescriptions or investigations ‘which should have taken place in the hospital setting’.
Dr Bramall-Stainer said: ‘GP contractors and partners are the key decision makers: able to take small steps leading to a big impact to protect practices and protect our patients.
‘Following the vote at GPC England to proceed to a ballot ahead of action, we will be explaining what action we are asking GPs to take, why, and when, early next month to coincide with our roadshows.
‘We will also be sharing profession-facing resources and a public-facing campaign very soon.
‘Please log in to bma.org.uk to make sure your personal details, job roles, place of work and best contact email are correct.
‘Look out for an email from Civica which will allow you to vote. Your details must be up to date for your vote to count.’
Last week GPCE members voted through a motion to proceed with a ‘non-statutory ballot’, which means any action taken by GP partners will ‘not involve contract breaches’.
The BMA suggested that instead GP partners could limit appointments to the union’s ‘safe working maximum’ of 25, or reject workload dump by stopping or reducing ‘work that they’re not formally contracted to do’.
As reported by Pulse earlier this year, the GPCE is looking at options for collective action that would affect GP interface with other NHS services as well as workload, rather than practices ‘shutting their doors’.
The committee indicated that this is a ‘first phase’ of action, and that ‘further escalation’ beyond a non-statutory ballot can be stopped if the Government agrees to make ‘contractual improvements’ in 2024/25 and restore GP funding to 2018/19 levels.
It follows a referendum by the GPCE which found that 99% of GPs did not agree with the recent contract imposition, as well as the committee officially declaring a ‘dispute’ with NHS England.
Block contract and free things leads to abuse and to make it worse, they do not appreciate what you do demand and pile more on.
The “special register” association BMA chooses to divide the profession and, as usual, betray the working (class of) GPs and only seek the opinions of the “shopkeeping” contractors (just like they mainly represent hospital consultants’ interests over those of working junior doctors). Any salaried or locum GP who is a BMA member should cancel their BMA membership stat. What a disgraceful decision to only ballot the capital-owning GPs as if they care more for the NHS/GP services than working GPs.
This IA will achieve nothing and the decline of traditional GP will continue towards GP services run by private corporations. Maybe Southwest Water or one of the rail companies could take over some contracts. I mean they’re literally only drinking sh*t soup in Devon!