Scottish LMC leaders will vote on a motion calling on the BMA to enter negotiations to overhaul the current contract and move to a fully salaried GP service, with equivalent terms and conditions to consultants.
LMC representatives will meet at their annual conference in Clydebank this Friday (1 December) to discuss issues facing general practice in Scotland.
During the conference, chair of the BMA’s Scottish GP Committee Dr Andrew Buist is expected to outline the struggles general practice is facing, and make ‘a renewed call’ for the Scottish Government ‘to follow through’ on its commitment to having a national conversation on the future of the health service in Scotland.
One of the motions asks the conference ‘to recognise the failure of the 2018 GP contract’ and calls on SGPC to explore an alternative ‘that is fit-for-purpose’, ‘appropriately’ funded and ‘more reflective of the needs of general practice’ and patients in Scotland.
It also calls for SGPC to enter into negotiation to move to a fully salaried GP service, with equivalent terms and conditions to consultant colleagues.
Health secretary Michael Matheson will also deliver a keynote speech at the conference.
Other motions which will be discussed are:
- demanding that the Scottish Government engages meaningfully with SGPC to address underfunding and agree a plan towards funding restoration for GPs
- in the event the Scottish Government fails to engage, urging SGPC to develop a range of potential options for collective/industrial action and present these to members
- calling on Scottish Government to reintroduce and upscale NHS24 daytime triage to allow any practice that would benefit from this support to access
- asking that patient access to parts of their electronic medical record is developed
- calling for payment of an ‘item of service’ fee for all pharmacotherapy services that continue to be performed by GPs
Last month, the RCGP complained that general practice has been ‘neglected’ in the Scottish Government’s plan for healthcare over winter.
Previously, the Scottish Government announced it will increase core GP funding by £60.4m in order for practices to award a 6% uplift to staff – but the BMA warned this was not sufficient.
Earlier this week, the Scottish Government announced ‘record levels of investment’ into medical training to create 153 new speciality posts, including 35 to train new GPs.
The contract motion in full
Agenda Committee to be proposed by Lothian: That this conference recognises the failure of the 2018 GP contract and:
i. believes that, partly consequent to the Scottish Government reneging on its commitment to deliver in full the new GP contract, that the current model of general practice is broken:
ii. calls on SGPC to explore an alternative to the 2018 GMS contract that is fit-for-purpose, appropriately funded and more reflective of the needs of general practice and patients in Scotland
iii. believes the independent contractor model is no longer fit for purpose
iv. calls for SGPC to enter into negotiation to move to a fully salaried GP service, with equivalent terms and conditions to our consultant colleagues.
Source: BMA Scotland
Would not wish to pre-empt discussion but am of opinion that the move to a wholly salaried service would not be a wise decision.
Expectations of primary care have changed a lot since 80’s. Time to think about patients .
Happy St Andrew’s Day! 🏴
salaried paid equivalent to consultants, partners and practices paid enough so that they can pay the salaried and partners can earn more than this, or salaried can be employed direct by NHS at consultant pay with equivalent admin and study leave, training, etc benefits. Plus liability for partnerships underwritten by government like our medical indemnity is now.
Or watch General Practice fail and secondary care collapse secondary to that.
that is the way it is.