GPs in Northern Ireland have experienced a real-terms funding cut of nearly 2.5% in the past year, with the BMA warning this has made it ‘harder for practices to stay open’.
New data released by the Department of Health showed that in 2023/24 the total investment in general practice, including the reimbursement of drugs dispensed in general practice, was £388.248m.
The NI Government said that compared to the previous year, this represents an increase in the total investment in GP practices of 3.60%, but that in real terms this equates to a decrease of 2.48%.
It added that general practice ‘played a key role in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic’ during 2020/21 and 2021/22, and that this is reflected in ‘higher levels of investment’ during that period.
BMA Northern Ireland GP committee deputy chair Dr Ciaran Mullan said that GPs across Northern Ireland are feeling the impact of this real terms funding cut.
Last year, the union warned that GP practices in Northern Ireland had already faced a decrease in investment, despite experiencing ‘spiralling costs and rocketing inflation’.
Dr Mullan said: ‘Declining funding is making it harder for GP practices to stay open; it means we cannot offer all of the services to patients that we would like to.
‘It also means practices might have to employ fewer staff, and that impacts on the ability to get appointments and see your GP.
‘GP practices need to be properly funded. The steady erosion of funding has a huge impact on morale and contributes to contract hand backs and our workforce crisis.’
He called for an increase in the funding for general practice to ‘avert a real crisis’.
It comes as GP practices in Northern Ireland are still in the dark about how the 6% pay uplift recommended by the DDRB earlier this year will be allocated by the Government.
GPC NI said they expect the health minister to bid for additional funding as part of the next ‘monitoring round’, which provides an opportunity to review spending plans in the devolved nations.
This is expected to take place this month, but the BMA does not know when any additional funding would eventually be paid to GP practices.
‘Recent changes to GP funding have created confusion and anger within general practice and while it is already clear to GPs that their funding is insufficient, seeing it laid clearly in black and white will do nothing to address this growing discontent,’ Dr Mullan added.
Health minister Mike Nesbitt said: ‘I am already on record as being supportive, in principle, of the recommendations set out [by the DDRB]. However, given the severe financial constraints placed upon my Department, it is not possible, at the current time, to make a final decision on the acceptance of the review body recommendations for this year.
‘As I have stated publicly, our health service would be nothing without our hard-working workforce and I am committed to doing everything I can do to support them.
‘I will continue to make the case to Executive colleagues for additional financial allocations that would allow me to implement a pay award in line with the recommendations of the NHSPRB & DDRB for 24/25.’
Northern Ireland’s GPs saw the full £38.9m worth of QOF funding repurposed for core services and indemnity cover this year.
As the final details of the 2024/25 contract – effective from 1 April – were agreed in May, the BMA’s GP Committee said negotiations had concluded ‘successfully’ but that there was more to be done.
