The BMA’s GP committee chair has defended GPs after the health secretary accused the profession of ‘sabre-rattling’ in relation to collective action.
Yesterday Wes Streeting said he ‘contrasts’ that with ‘some of the sabre-rattling’ seen from GPs, ‘despite’ the fact that the Government put millions of pounds ‘into GP unemployment in the first six weeks’.
Arguing GP collective action is ‘unnecessary’, he added that it ‘would harm patients and put more burden on their colleagues in other parts of the NHS’.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme about Lord Ara Darzi’s NHS review, he said: ‘I think GPs want to work with this Government. They can see the seriousness of our intent.
‘They want – as we do – to rebuild the family doctor relationship. I urge the BMA to work with us on that, and stop the sabre-rattling.’
GPC chair for England Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer said she had heard the remarks and that she ‘was disappointed’.
She said: ‘But I can understand the political subtext around this. To suggest that we are sabre-rattling, I don’t think it’s going to chime [with the public] who probably will also have experienced immense changes to their local GP and family doctor service.
‘We have lost 2,000 practices over the past 15 years – that’s 20% of GP surgeries gone. Thousands of GPs have been haemorrhaged from the NHS.
‘One in four GPs knows another GP who has taken their own life – my own GP took his own life in 2021 – and that is not sabre rattling, that is because general practice is collapsing now.’
Lord Darzi’s review said that increasing GP funding must be part of a ‘fundamental strategic shift’ for the NHS, but Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there would be no new money without ‘reform’. The report will now inform a 10-year plan for the NHS, to be drawn up by the Government.
However, Dr Bramall-Stainer said: ‘We are not in a position to be able to wait for long-term plans next year or consumer spending reviews.
‘Our action isn’t striking, it’s not withdrawing labour or shutting our doors, it’s action that is legally permissible to stop more practice closures.’
In a video statement this morning, Dr Bramall-Stainer said that the BMA has given the new Government ‘an opportunity to get around the table and that they are ‘still waiting to hear back’.
She added: ‘The clock is ticking – over 80% of practices are already taking at least one or more actions from our safe, sustainable action menu.
‘These actions will work and they will build growing leverage over the months ahead to support us in negotiating for you and your practice and team.’
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.
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.
And last week, GP practices were encouraged to share data with the BMA on how they are taking part in collective action every week.
“‘despite’ the fact that the Government put millions of pounds ‘into GP unemployment in the first six weeks’.”—- where is that money? All gone to pockets of partners in PCNs with no change in unemployment on ground.
I don’t think that money is available until october ^
However, it is a one-off, non recurrent fundign amount and it is worth approx 5% compared to the ARRS funding, so approximately f*ck all
Couldn’t have been much of an attack if the BMA is already having to “defend”. Streeting knows what he’s doing. He’s in charge of the narrative.
Definitely knows what he is doing. We shall see. I hope to see in the budget tax rises on the rich with significantly more funding to General Practice in which case Streeting’s charade is to counteract the right wing press who will say tax rises to fund lazy GPs. He can make out he is ‘tough’ on GPs all he wants so long as the money is coughed up. Lets See
“tax the rich”
Hilarious, total disconnect from reality.
GPs are the rich, Partners top 1% by income, salaried earning average full time wage on a two day week.
Meanwhile those cleaning your Practice probably have two or three jobs and earn a fraction of what you are paid.
Top 1% salary at least 182k. average GP partner income in England 21/22 140k and falling. Think of the hours all GPs work in reality 12-13 hour days. 5.4% of uk are millionaires apparently though. GPs are not rich other than in spirit sadly