The Autumn Budget tax hikes will make NHS general practice unsustainable as a business model, England LMC leaders have declared.
In response to the serious concerns, GP leaders have determined that a ‘special conference’ will be required ‘to discuss and determine what escalatory steps will be needed to ensure the survival of what still remains of English general practice’.
At the regular annual conference of LMCs today, delegates demanded that the changes to Employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs), planned for April 2025, are ‘immediately rectified by the health secretary through commensurate funding into the core GP contract’.
Otherwise, the conference ‘believes this has the potential to collapse general practice with widespread redundancies and practice closures highly likely’, the motion said.
It further called on the BMA’s GP Committee for England to ‘use any means possible to galvanise the profession around this move by government in order to pull general practice back from the brink’.
The last part of the motion called for a ‘special conference’ of LMCs ‘to discuss and determine what escalatory steps will be needed to ensure the survival of what still remains of English general practice’.
In a special vote, which only required support from a third of the 102 LMCs present (as opposed to delegates), this was also passed, despite ‘context’ given by the GPDF that it would cost £110,000. In all, around 40 LMCs voted in favour.
In a letter sent yesterday to GPC England chair Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, health secretary Wes Streeting said the Government was looking at finalising the GP funding envelope for 2025/26 over the ‘coming weeks’.
However, speaking in favour of the motion, Kent LMCs’ Dr Gaurav Gupta argued that GPs ‘cannot wait until Christmas’ for a solution to the problem.
He said: ‘Does this Labour government really want to be known for driving general practice the dentistry way? This issue must be sorted immediately. There is no time to wait until Christmas.’
The GPC’s Dr David Wrigley said: ‘As we heard, the chief secretary of the Treasury, Darren Jones, said GPs are not part of the NHS family. It came as a huge gut punch to those of us who have given our careers to work in our communities, looking after our NHS patients.
‘One colleague told me they felt betrayed by this government. Mr Jones, we are not the private sector. We can’t increase our charges to cover our increased costs. We don’t have shareholders. We don’t announce dividends.’
He added: ‘Partners cannot wait any longer, Mr Streeting. We need action now and a solution completely separate to the contract negotiation… Make the right choice, Mr Streeting, listen to this conference, listen to the profession and do the right thing.’
Earlier during the day, LMC leaders instructed the GPC to ballot the profession on stepping up industrial action to enhance pressure on the Government to improve contract terms and funding.
Motion in full
AGENDA COMMITTEE TO BE PROPOSED BY BERKSHIRE: That conference believes that NHS general practice in England is no longer sustainable as a business model due to the government’s recent change to Employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs), and:
(i) demands that this be immediately rectified by the health secretary through commensurate funding into the core GP contract – PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
(ii) believes this has the potential to collapse general practice with widespread redundancies and practice closures highly likely – PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
(iii) calls on GPCE officers to use any means possible to galvanise the profession around this move by government in order to pull general practice back from the brink – PASSED UNANIMOUSLY
(iv) that a special conference of LMCs is required to discuss and determine what escalatory steps will be needed to ensure the survival of what still remains of English general practice. PASSED IN A SPECIAL VOTE SUPPORTED BY AROUND 40 LMCs
Source: BMA
