England’s LMC leaders have voted to cut GP core opening hours to 9am to 5pm, following a lively debate.
A motion debated at the England LMCs conference in London today was passed with 147 GP representatives voting in favour and 84 voting against. 10 delegates abstained.
The motion, proposed by Gateshead and Tyneside LMC, said the current core hours of 8am to 6:30pm are discriminatory against GPs who wish to have families, which due to a ‘still-patriarchal’ society mostly affects women.
It said that the conference ‘requests that any new contract reduce core hours to 0900-1700hrs’, with practices starting or finishing later on some days to meet local need.
A new contract will be introduced for GPs in England in April 2024 following negotiation between the BMA GP Committee and NHS England and the passing of the motion means the GPC is now mandated to argue for a reduction in core hours.
A similar motion narrowly failed at the UK-wide LMCs conference in March this year, but many of the arguments against the UK motion stated that this wasn’t an issue that should have been debated on a UK-wide basis, rather than against the substance.
Dr Paul Evans from Gateshead and Tyneside LMC, who proposed today’s motion, said: ‘I know too many GPs who have quit their partnerships [or] their salaried jobs or who are just coming out of training who are not prepared to take on a permanent role because of the hours and because they cannot see a way to make it work with childcare opening hours and with family life.
‘Do you want some of their time or do you want none of their time – just little bits in locums here there and everywhere?’
Speaking in favour of the motion, Dr Sarah Westerbeek from Kent LMC said these barriers must be considered ‘if we’re serious about equality, reducing the gender pay gap and supporting women into leadership roles in general practice’.
But Dr Manu Agrawal from South Staffordshire LMC warned that while he supported the motion, negotiators need to ‘make sure that the current funding does not reduce by reducing the current hours’.
And speaking against, Dr John Allingham from Leeds LMC said ‘it is important we don’t score own goals’.
He said: ‘The media narrative is reflecting our overwork and under-resourcing – we are starting to get some wins in the media.
‘Consultants have found themselves vilified recently for not working weekends, it’s important that we don’t make ourselves a target for the media by insisting on working 9-5.
He added: ‘I don’t think having 9-5 working will win hearts and minds.’
Responding to the concerns, Dr Evans said he is ‘fully aware’ that the PR for the motion is ‘going to play appallingly’.
However, he added: ‘If we keep doing what we’re doing, we’re going to see the failure of the partnership model.’
BMA GP Committee for England deputy chair Dr Kieran Sharrock said: ‘Certainly, we support the sentiment of this motion. We are doing too much, we’re working for far too long.
‘We’ll listen to what you say and see what we can negotiate.’
He added: ‘Until we get round to that negotiation and until we get a new contract, you can restrict your working.
‘We’ve provided safe working guidance that should help you do that so until we’ve got a new contract, which may have fewer core hours, then look at that safe working guidance and implement it.’
A separate motion at the conference called on the GPC to negotiate the end of the enhanced access element of the Network DES, which requires primary care networks to open from 9-5 on Saturdays and on weekday evenings.
And the conference also voted earlier against practices declaring themselves as ‘requires improvement’ to the CQC to highlight the unsafe levels of care caused by the GP workforce crisis.
Meanwhile, LMC leaders will consider options for the new GP contract – such as going private and an end to patient lists – at a special conference to be held behind closed doors tomorrow.
Motion in full
GATESHEAD AND SOUTH TYNESIDE: That conference views core hours as a relic of history and:
(i) notes that they total 52.5 hours per week, starting earlier and finishing later than most other jobs, including childcare PASSED
(ii) believes that they indirectly discriminate against GPs who wish to have families PASSED
(iii) is concerned that due to the still-patriarchal nature of English society, this is discrimination that mostly affects female GPs PASSED
(iv) requests that any new contract reduce core hours to 0900-1700hrs, but with practices to start earlier/finish later on some days, as per extended hours, in order to meet local need and practice ability to staff this. PASSED
Sad to read this.
The asylum has been taken over.
This is very foolish. Please chaps – differentiate yourself from politicians..at least have some insight….
The daily Mail Headline will just write itself.
Lazy Gp’s…..
Completely unnecessary and strategically naive. When the NHS is mismanaged and abused by politicians abetted by their lackeys to the detriment of their staff and indeed patients, why should the BMA have a default setting of “protecting the bedrock of the NHS!”
If people want to work fewer sessions then that is their choice. To expect someone else to provide primary care 128 hours a week without loss of Income to those who want a different lifestyle seems to me beyond comprehension. Who does the LMC suggest should do this?
This is beyond stupid. The main issue is that we have not had a meaningful pay increase for 15 years. 8 to 6.30 is the job. If you do not want to accept that you should have not become a GP. The optics of this is appalling and will make it much, much harder to obtain an acceptable level of pay. What is going to happen next ? Working 9 to 3.15 so that the kids can be picked up from school ? This creates the previously inconceivable- giving credibility to the Daily Mail !
On the other hand if we are paid 25% less than 15 yrs ago it is not unreasonable to cut out hours by 25. %
“The still-patriarchal nature of English society “
Gawd ‘elp us……and these are our representatives?!? I hope they all declared their pronouns….
I’m sure they thought this on-message choice of words made them look trendily progressive, but it comes across as embarrassingly out of touch with your target audience, like dad-dancing at a wedding. Inappropriate Woke platitudes won’t attract GPs to your cause, which most of us don’t support any way. You’re an LMC, not a shouty student university debating society.
There are so many changes to the GP contract worth fighting for. This was really not one of them.
Did we really vote for this? This is ludicrous and such an own goal. There is so much that needs changing but not this.
We give all our trainees an option to start anytime between 8 am and 9 am and nobody chooses 9am because of traffic etc
This is not something that I would have made a point out of, but equally I care less and less about what the general public think.
Contrary to what seems to be popular belief, we don’t need their admiration to practice medicine. They’ll still come to see us (in the same way that they still use a solicitor when buying a house, even if they don’t like it) and if they don’t, I’m not that fussed.
Public respected gps because they were there at hour of their need. Slowly week end , nights and bank holidays cover by gps disappeared. Now we want to be office workers .
That ranks with turkeys voting for Xmas.
As said a piss poor strategy choice & more ammunition to politicians and Daily Wail
and there you have it.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11467269/GPs-vote-CLOSE-doors-5pm-Family-doctors-demand-NHS-allows-9-5-working-day.html
The Barristers got 15% pay rise. Medical school is harder to get in. We should be more focused on this.
Own goal! So General Practice no longer deals with urgent cases and becomes the management of chronic disease only. We are our own worst enemies.
Terrible decision.
1. Not a cat in hells chance of getting it
2.If we did actually get it, there’d still the same amount of work to do, so still be staying after close of play
3. Gives the media fuel to further denigrate lazy work shy GPS who never see patients and are hugely overpaid.
Pick your battles guys !
This is not the right one
A comment earlier in this list was “This is beyond stupid.”
No need for any other comment from me.
Doesn’t seem to be much support for this policy amongst PULSE constituents. I would be interested to hear from those LMC reps who voted for this how much they discussed this policy with their LMC constituencies, considering the impact and implications of this vote. Did they ballot the GPs in their LMC areas and canvas opinion?
Many comments here reflect the fact that whilst many of us moan about the workload, we simulataneously insist on being martyrs. We are paid to deliver a contract. Instead of rolling over to stay popular with the public at all personal cost, we need to deliver what we’re paid to deliver and direct patients to their MPs and the ballot box if they are dissatisfied. Otherwise we become scape goats for government policy and will continue to be abused by politicians the press and the public.
Nobody should be a martyr.
Equally, this motion paves a way for corporate firms to offer a 9-5 service.
The strength of general practice risks being eroded. We need to control the workload, not shut the doors.
This motion helps enable the mindset of corporate minded politicians…..make general practice look glossy, never mind the quality of care.
8 hours a day. 40 h working week. If we have scarce GP workforce, the hours must be reduced to be able to cope.
Noctors can stay for extended hours. Paramedics cover home visits.
All else go to urgent care. Job done.
Have you seen GP salary in Canada?