GPs may insist on seeing patients face-to-face as part of a protest action against a new NHS contract they say represents a pay-cut.
Family doctors, who on average earn a six-figure salaries, are plotting the ‘collective action’ over new terms they claim will leave their surgeries financially unviable.
Several options are being considered by their union, the British Medical Association (BMA), one of which will see them refusing to hold consultations online or over the phone.
Healthcare campaigners, who have called for GPs to reinstate in-person appointments as standard after they plummeted during the pandemic, welcomed the move, saying patients will, ironically, receive a better quality of service.
Dennis Reed, of Silver Voices, said: ‘It seems counter-intuitive to have industrial action which threatens to improve the service for patients, but here we are.
The BMA will ballot GPs on protest action this month. If the majority vote in favour, it is expected to happen in early August
GPs, the majority of whom are self-employed and contracted by NHS England, are unhappy because they believe the deal they are currently being offered represents a pay cut
‘If it changes the paradigm so that face-to-face appointments become the default option again, like they used to be, then I’m all for it.
‘For the doctors it’s a form of work-to-rule – they’re going to operate the most time-consuming way of seeing patients. But it’s only the most time-consuming because it provides a better quality of service.
‘If that point comes out of this, it will be a good outcome.’
He added patients must currently ‘run the gauntlet’ when attempting to get an appointment with their GP.
‘It’s almost impossible,’ he said. ‘First you have to explain to the receptionist why you want to see a doctor, and then, more often than not, you’re diverted to a nurse or pharmacist.
‘Even if it is agreed by the gatekeepers that you can speak to a doctor, it’s usually just a telephone appointment.
‘This protest action would be quite a positive change in the way that surgeries operate, but of course it’s only going back to what used to happen before the pandemic.’
Damning NHS data recently showed one in 20 patients are forced to wait at least four weeks for a GP appointment, with the number closer to one in 10 in some areas.
GPs, the majority of whom are self-employed and contracted by NHS England, are unhappy because they believe the deal they are currently being offered represents a real-terms pay cut.
The BMA will ballot GPs on protest action this month. If the majority vote in favour, it is expected to go ahead in early August.
Other proposals from BMA members include switching off GP Connect, a service that allows care professionals to access GP records and medical notes, and stopping any voluntary services.
Dr Chandra Kanneganti, chairman of North Staffordshire Local Medical Committee, told Pulse that union members had come up with a ‘menu’ of ways to demonstrate their dissatisfaction.
He said: ‘One of the things that was on the menu was stopping advice and guidance, and stopping things that do not improve patient care.
‘And there’s lots of options for that, they are proposing three different menus and we as an LMC would be happy to recommend those options.
‘I think that actually rejuvenated people – I think this is something people will vote for, I can definitely see that.’
In March, the BMA revealed its members ‘overwhelmingly’ wanted to reject Government changes to their terms of service.
It said family doctors felt ‘frustrated, angry and upset’ and claimed the contract will see practices given a ‘well below-inflation 1.9 per cent baseline practice contract funding uplift’.
Although GPs work around three days a week and earn six-figure salaries on average, they said the deal would force some surgeries to close.
Ministers quietly abandoned plans to hire 6,000 extra GPs by 2024, a promise made by Boris Johnson during the last election.
A BMA spokesman said: ‘Under the current NHS contract, practices are required to offer e-consult and telephone appointments when requested by patients.
‘One collective action being explored by the BMA is for GPs to offer face-to-face appointments only, which may reduce the number of available appointments.
‘As family doctors, who often live amongst the communities we care for, the last thing we want is for patients to experience long waits to see GPs.
‘However, without adequate investment in general practice, the government is well aware that waiting times will only worsen. Our goal is to ensure patients receive timely care, but sufficient resources are crucial to achieving this.’
He added that, while discussions are ongoing, nothing is final or ‘set in stone’.
An NHS England spokesperson said: ‘We will continue to engage with GPs, the BMA and other stakeholders to ensure that patients receive high-quality care.’
