GP industrial action ‘unnecessary’ – Streeting

Patients are being “punished” as a result of “unnecessary” industrial action by GPs, the Health Secretary has said.

Other parts of the NHS will be left to “pick up the pieces” as a result of collective action by family doctors, Wes Streeting said.

The remarks come as leaked NHS documents suggest that action could cost the NHS more than half a billion pounds over the next four months.

Mr Streeting said GP services had been “driven into the ground” by the Conservative government but said that Labour had shown “serious intent” to address the issues faced by family doctors.

He said that he wanted to see an end to industrial action by GPs as he called for a “serious professional partnership” between family doctors and the Government.

Leading GPs at the British Medical Association (BMA) have warned that collective action could last for “months” and have a “significant impact” on the NHS.

As part of the collective action, GPs can put a cap on the number of patients they will see each day.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Mr Streeting said: “I understand why GPs chose to ballot in opposition to the previous government, because under the Conservatives general practice was driven into the ground.

“And we ended up in a situation where patients couldn’t get a GP appointment, and yet qualified GPs couldn’t get a job. That’s how absurd things became.

“I think I’ve shown in just the first four weeks of this Labour Government my determination to work with GPs and with primary care to fix the front door to the NHS, and so as far as I’m concerned this collective action is unnecessary, because we have now a Government that is committed to working with GPs to turn the situation around, to rebuild general practice for the benefit of patients.

“And the risk with this collective action is that it’s not the Conservatives that are punished for their failure, it’s patients and other parts of the NHS (that) will be picking up the pieces.

“I urge GPs to work with the Government to rebuild general practice.”

Speaking on a visit to Leeds Cancer Centre, the Health Secretary added: “We’ve already taken immediate action to deal with GP unemployment, responding to the mass petition that was sent in about GP unemployment.

“I’m not pretending that that is the total fix of the problem, but I think it is an indication of serious intent.

“My message to GPs is: I understand you’ve been stretched to breaking point.

“I want a much better relationship with GPs than the previous Conservative government had.

“And we can only turn around the NHS and make it fit for the future if we work together as a team, which is why I want to see an end to industrial action and actually an end to GPs having simply a contractual relationship with the Government.

“I want to have a serious professional partnership, and that’s not just with GPs, that’s with staff right across the NHS, because we’re going to need to work as a team to get our NHS back on its feet and make sure it’s fit for the future.”

It comes as the Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported the collective action could cost more than £500 million over the next four months.

An NHS document, seen by the HSJ, suggests that if there is a 30% reduction in GP activity between August and November, the cost of work diverted to other services would be £569 million.

It is understood that these are worst-case scenario figures and assume that all GP practices across the country will participate in the action.

The row erupted over a new contract which saw GP services given a 1.9% funding increase for 2024/25.

The BMA argued that many practices would struggle to stay financially viable as a result.

GPs launched a formal dispute over the issue in April after a referendum carried out by the union found 99% of 19,000 GPs rejected the contract.

As a result GPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of staging collective action – 98.3% of 8,500 GPs voted in favour of action.

As part of the action, GPs can choose from a list of 10 actions, with practices able to choose how many they implement.

These include GPs limiting the number of patients they see each day to 25, choosing to not perform work they are not formally contracted to do, refusing to share patient data unless it is in the best interest of the patient, and referring patients directly to specialists rather than following NHS processes.

Practices could also potentially ignore “rationing” restrictions by “prescribing whatever is in the patient’s best interest”.

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chairwoman of the BMA’s general practitioners committee for England, said: “We have had some positive conversations with the new Health Secretary in recent weeks, and there is an opportunity to now work together to fix general practice, as a critical step in repairing the NHS.

“Our plans were put in place in March, and our timeline confirmed prior to the announcement of the General Election.

“It is an inalienable fact that practices are continuing to close, and experienced GPs leaving the NHS workforce. In this context, our collective action is designed to mitigate these two measures, with the support of over 98% of BMA GP partner members who voted.

“The new Health Secretary wants to rebuild trust, and we agree. Our members’ action has been planned to be a ‘slow burn’ precisely so the new Government has time to consider and consult with us on solutions.

“An immediate first step would be to ensure the 6% DDRB uplift is fully funded including on-costs, so that practices can afford to pass on the Government’s stated pay uplift to their staff without collapsing more practices.”

Mr Streeting was asked about industrial action while on his visit to Leeds, where he saw a number of new technologies being used in the health service.

He said: “I’m in Leeds today because they’re leading the way on using some of the latest treatments and technologies to diagnose and treat cancer.

“And having gone through kidney cancer myself, this is an issue that is kind of very close to my heart, and certainly spurs on my drive to make sure that the NHS is there for everyone who needs it, like it was for me.

“Having had my life saved by the NHS, I can’t think of a better way of spending my life than saving our NHS.

“Actually I have been very blunt about the fact that the NHS is broken and that we need to work together as a team to get it back on its feet and make sure it’s fit for the future.

“And I think it’s important that whilst recognising the enormous challenges in the NHS, we also inspire trust and confidence and hope that it can be rebuilt through some of the outstanding nationally, and in some cases internationally, leading work that’s taking place.”

Mr Streeting spoke about a number of new developments at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, adding: “We need to make sure that the NHS is a great partner for medtech and life sciences in the UK, but also around the world, and that we are able to get the latest treatments and technologies proven and then deployed for the benefit of UK patients and be world leading in this area.”

The BMA has been approached for comment.

Shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins said: “Only last year, Wes Streeting delivered undeserved criticism of the GP community saying he wanted to tear up the GP contract due to their “murky, opaque” financial operations, to abolish GP partnerships and describing GPs’ essential role vaccinating children as “money for old rope”.

“Rather than explaining that undeserved criticism, or coming up with original plans to reform primary care, he offers only soundbites criticising the Conservative Party – which delivered 50 million more GP appointments last year compared to 2019 as promised in our 2019 manifesto.

“In choosing to reward striking junior doctors with a budget-busting pay rise in return for no reform, the new Heath Secretary has given the clear message to trade unions that he will reward strike action. That was his choice but sadly patients and taxpayers will pay the price.”