GPs vote for ‘catastrophic’ strike action that could reduce number of daily appointments

GPs have voted for unprecedented strike action that could cut the number of daily patient appointments by a third.

More than 8,500 GPs in England took part in the British Medical Association (BMA) vote, with 98.3 per cent in favour of the change.

This means that the union is calling on GPs to choose from a list of ten actions starting today. Practices can then choose to implement as many or as few as they want.

Patient groups have already described the move as “selfish”, warning that GPs risk harming people in need of care and losing public support.

One NHS director even said a cap on the number of appointments could be ‘catastrophic’.

More than 8,500 GPs in England took part in the vote, with 98.3 per cent backing the disruption. It means that from today the British Medical Association is urging GPs to choose from a list of ten actions, and practices can choose to implement as few or as many as they like.

Patient groups have already described the move as ‘selfish’ and warned GPs they risk harming those who need care – and losing public support. One NHS chief even said the effect of a cap on the number of appointments could be ‘catastrophic’. Pictured: Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of the BMA’s GP committee

One of the ten forms of protest is setting a limit on the number of daily ‘patient contacts’.

This includes face-to-face appointments, remote consultations and online messages.

According to the recommendations of the BMA and the European Union of General Practitioners, GPs are not allowed to make more than 25 appointments per day to guarantee ‘safe care’.

But some doctors are reportedly having to cram nearly 90 patients a day into some areas due to an appointment crisis, with the average being around 37.

Patients who exceed the maximum amount will be referred to ‘local emergency services’ such as 111 or walk-in clinics when the total amount is reached.

Primary care leaders estimate that as many as 3 million GP appointments could disappear each month if GPs go ahead with the plans.

Other measures include refusing to collaborate with standard NHS systems, such as those used to refer patients to hospital specialists or share data with local care planners.

Earlier this week, Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of the BMA’s GP committee, said the move aimed to “bring the NHS to a standstill very quickly”.

However, she insisted: ‘It is an industrial action but the target is not patients. The target is NHS England. [and the] Ministry of Health.’

Responding to the outcome of today’s vote, she added: ‘We have no choice but to continue with collective action to protect our practices and our patients.

“This will not be a big bang. It will be a slow burn. It is likely that the impact will not be felt for some time.

‘We hope that this will give the new government time to consider our proposed solutions, including the permanent termination of our contract.

‘The GP practice should be the front door to the NHS, not the doormat.

‘We don’t want to have to take this next step, but we have to do it if we want to avoid a complete collapse of our service provision.

‘A key promise in Labour’s manifesto was to bring back the GP, and we look forward to ensuring that this becomes a reality as soon as possible.’

Because the vote was not a legally required strike vote, the union did not have to announce its actions and could begin immediately.

The turnout was only 67.7 percent. That means that one in three eligible general practitioners did not do so.

This comes after the government announced today that GPs have been added to the Additional Functions Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), in the hope that practices can hire an additional 1,000 doctors this year.

The ARRS scheme was introduced in 2019 and allows primary care networks and groups of GP practices operating in the same area to hire staff for other roles, such as podiatrists and occupational therapists, and claim compensation for their salaries.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting added £82 million to the £1.4 billion ARRS pot to fund what he described as an “emergency measure”.

The extension of the scheme should ensure that practices can hire ‘recently graduated GPs’ who may become unemployed this summer.

The announcement follows the government’s pledge earlier this week to increase GP wages by 6 percent, following the recommendation of the committee that reviews doctors’ wages.

But senior doctors said the increase did not go far enough to address the erosion of GP funding.

GPs have not taken industrial action since 1964, when GPs undatedly resigned from Harold Wilson’s Labour government.

However, in 2012, some general practitioners organised strikes to protest against the increase in pension contributions and the higher retirement age for doctors.

It is estimated that only one-fifth to one-third of practices participated in the action.

But the BMA has recently led to strikes by young doctors and specialists, making it difficult to clear the waiting lists that have built up during the pandemic.