GP practices have been encouraged to share data with the BMA on how they are taking part in collective action every week.
The union’s GP committee is collecting weekly data on GP participation in collective action, which it intends to use to ‘measure the impact’ of the action, and as a ‘lobbying tool’ with NHS England.
Earlier this month, LMCs in England began disseminating a weekly survey to practices which asks whether they are taking any of the 10 possible actions.
In a message to LMCs, GPC England deputy chair Dr David Wrigley said: ‘As LMCs are aware, we are gathering data on any actions that practices across England are taking, so we can measure the impact of collective action.
‘This crucial information will help inform our discussions and negotiations with NHS England, encouraging them to do the right thing for patients in protecting general practice, as well as support the new Government in delivering on the commitments in their election manifesto.’
The survey should be completed by only one staff member per practice (the practice manager or another member of staff from each practice).
According to Essex LMC, this data will ‘enable the BMA to identify areas of high and low participation’ as well as any support ‘needed to enable participation’ where there are ‘obstacles’.
The LMC said: ‘The data collected will then be used to monitor the participation with the different types of action across the country, and as a lobbying tool to demonstrate the level of participation in collective action.’
In a newsletter yesterday, YOR LMC medical secretary Dr Brian McGregor explained that the survey takes place weekly to ‘give a picture of how participation rates change over time’.
Collective action began on 1 August after GP partners voted in favour of taking action in protest against contractual terms and funding.
After the BMA announced the results of its non-statutory ballot, which saw 98.3% of GP partners voting in favour of taking collective action, NHS England said that ICBs should make sure that practices are continuing to meet contractual requirements during the action.
Last week, the BMA warned GP practices against plugging gaps in local services which have arisen as a result of collective action.
Pulse exclusively revealed that almost half of England’s GP practices are already taking some form of collective action, with the most popular option being limiting the number of daily patient contacts.
The survey also revealed that half of respondents would be willing to escalate the level of collective action, including breaching contracts – although this would require a statutory ballot by the BMA.
Pulse has analysed the full set of data on collective action to see what it tells us about the current climate and what could happen next, and answered the most common questions about the action.
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