Dear colleagues
Collective action
Thank you for taking part in our collective action to protect our patients and practices.
We have updated our collective action webpage explaining in more detail the nine actions that practices can choose to take. These actions will continue to make a difference: they are safe, sustainable, and do not breach your contract. If GPs collectively participate, this helps put pressure on the Government to do the right thing for patients and general practice.
Please also refer to other useful links such as:
· Guidance for GP collective action for sessional GPs and GP registrars
· Patient materials (waiting room/website videos and infographics)
· Campaign materials (patient leaflets, lanyards and badges).
Watch our video of colleagues explaining the importance of taking collective action: https://youtu.be/tH1FFyIfyBA
Make sure you are involved to protect your patients, your staff and your practice.
As the year comes to an end, we wanted to thank you all for your continued work in general practice and for your help and support in the work we do.
Please do keep in touch and best wishes for 2025.
December action tracker
The December collective action tracker survey will close at 5pm on Sunday 15 December.
Is your practice taking part in collective action? We want to hear from you! If you are a GP partner or a practice manager, please fill in this survey. Specific data will not be shared outside of the BMA and no identifiable data will be created as a result of this survey.
National Insurance contributions
The BMA briefed MPs ahead of the opposition day debate on the increase in employers’ national insurance (NI) contributions, and we were pleased to see several MPs raising the issue of the impact of the increase on GPs and their patients and urging government to take action.
This issue was also raised in Prime Ministers Questions, where Liberal Democrat MP, Martin Wrigley, highlighted that GPs in his constituency had contacted him with concerns and asked the PM to release this funding information. The PM stated that the Darzi report made clear that the NHS was broken by the last government, which is why they have committed £22 billion to the NHS in this year’s budget. He stated that his government value the vital work that GPs do, and every year they consult with the sector on the services they provide and the money they are entitled to in return.
To continue to keep this issue on the government’s agenda, if you have not done so please write to your local MP, using our online tool to tell them about the impact that ENICS increases will have on your practice and patients. Please also consider following up your email with an invitation for your local MP to visit your practice to hear from you directly. If you do have an MP visiting, contact us on publicaffairs@bma.org.uk, and we can offer any support needed.
Please continue to use the BMA online calculator to estimate the impact of the increases to employer NI contributions and the national minimum/living wage on general practice in England.
Data from our online calculator submissions so far indicates that the average additional cost pressure runs to around £33,000 for each practice. This means practices are at risk of closure or, as a minimum, reducing staff and services as a result, if these additional costs are not covered.
Calling all GPs: Join us at next year’s ARM in Liverpool
If you are interested in helping to set BMA policy, you can now nominate to be a representative for your local area at the annual representative meeting (ARM) 2025 (23-25 June).
The ARM decides the future of your union and professional association – from pay restoration and resourcing the NHS, clinical governance to the GMC, to electing your leadership. Over half of the seats to ARM are allocated to BMA divisions, with others allocated to BMA conferences. Elections are conducted via the BMA's online nomination and election system across all division areas in the UK. This means that all BMA members can nominate and vote in their division elections. Find out more.
Please visit our elections portal to nominate yourself (Nominations will close at 12pm on Tuesday 14 January 2025.)
If you have any questions, please contact elections@bma.org.uk
Joint statement on Government pay uplift for 2024/25
We recognise decisions on pay awards for practice staff are determined by individual employers, however, nursing staff working in general practice should be provided with a fair pay settlement that recognises their essential nursing role in the holistic delivery of general practice services.
GPCE and RCN are committed to calling for a fairer funding model general practice nursing staff, and remain committed to finding solutions to achieve this and secure the long-term sustainability of general practice in England. Read the full statement here
Government’s suggested 2.8% pay uplift for doctors for 2025-26
This week, the Government recommended that the pay uplift for next year for doctors and other NHS workers should be 2.8%. In response to this, the BMA's chair of council, Philip Banfield, said: "For this Government to give evidence to DDRB believing a 2.8% pay rise is enough, indicates a poor grasp of the unresolved issues from two years of industrial action. It is far below the current rate of inflation experienced by doctors in their daily lives and does not move significantly closer to restoring the relative value of doctors’ pay lost over the past 15 years.” Read the full BMA statement
Changes to the GP pension type 1 and 2 forms for the year 2023-24
You should have received an email from NHS England detailing how you must submit your type 1 or type 2 form for the year ending 31 March 2024 to PCSE. Previously you could submit your forms either through your PCSE online account or the 'Contact us' section on the PCSE website. Instead, you or your accountant, will now need to submit the form via the ‘Contact us’ section on the PCSE website. This will not impact your pension record, just how you submit your forms.
All of the necessary forms, including the Type 1 form for GP partners, and guidance are linked on our webpage. The forms must be completed by those who have undertaken practitioner pensionable work between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024, and should be submitted by 28 February 2025.
What does the future hold for GP premises?
Listen to the GP online podcast with Dr Gaurav Gupta, GPC England lead for premises, who talks about the terrible state of GP premises in England. He explains what the new premises cost directions could mean for practices, the problems facing practices based in NHS Property Services buildings and why GP premises ownership should still have an important role in future plans for the primary care estate.
LMC England Conference 2024 update and resolutions
Chaired by Waltham Forest LMC’s Dr Elliot Singer, your national representative conference of representatives of England LMCs was held on 22 November. The title “Truth and trust: valuing family doctors” framed the debates and discussions of the 300+ LMC representatives present. Read the resolutions and election results and watch the recording of the event here.
Updated GP training guide
After a year of negotiation with COGPED (Committee of GP Education Directors), the GP Registrars committee has launched an updated guide for GP registrar sessions, bringing practical improvements to training. It supports flexible working patterns, allowing registrars to follow either session or hour-based schedules as per their contract. Appointment times are now adjustable based on training stage and consultation complexity, with a goal of reaching 15-minute face-to-face consultations by the end of training. The guide promotes both flexibility and tailored support, reflecting the evolving needs of GP registrars. For full details, read the document on the BMA website.
BMA’s Change NHS / 10 Year Health Plan consultation response
The BMA has submitted its organisational response to the Change NHS consultation, to help influence the UK Government’s 10 Year Health Plan. The BMA’s response centres on the need for the plan to ensure that doctors are better valued – financially, professionally, and culturally – and stresses the importance of increased support and investment for general practice.
Cameron Fund Christmas Appeal 2024
The Cameron Fund is the only medical benevolent fund that solely supports GPs and their dependants in times of financial need, whether through ill-health, disability, bereavement, relationship breakdown or loss of employment. Each year the Cameron Fund runs a Christmas Appeal to raise extra funds for their beneficiaries. If you would like to make a donation, please find further details here.
LMC Secretaries Conference 2025
The LMC secretaries conference is taking place on Friday 7 February 2025 at BMA House in London. To register to attend please use the online application form available here, each person attending the conference must register by completing a registration form regardless of how they are planning to attend i.e. first, second or observer, the closing date for registration is Friday 24 January 2025.
Please contact the GPC office at info.lmcconference@bma.org.uk with any queries.
UK LMC Conference - 8 and 9 May 2025 - Save the date
The UK LMC Conference 2025 will be held on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 May 2025 at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. The Agenda Committee continues to work on the Reforms to Conference mandated, and aims to bring further updates and progress in 2025, including substantive changes to Standing Orders to ratify the changes necessary to make the UK Conference truly serve all four nations.
GPCE Guidance, media and contacts
- Guidance for GP collective action for Sessional GPs and GP registrars
- Downloadable waiting room/website videos and infographics for practices.
- Campaign materials (patient leaflets, lanyards, badges, window stickers) on the BMA rep Hub
- Read more about the work of GPC England and practical guidance for GP practices
- See the latest update on X @BMA_GP and read about BMA in the media
Read the GPCE bulletin: Collective action | NI contributions: try our calculator | our pay uplift statement
Read the sessional GPs newsletter: GP unemployment | GPs in ARRS | earnings report | lifestyle medicine and menopause
Read the GP Registrars newsletter: Hello, from your GP registrar committee
Dr Samira Anane
GPC England deputy chair
Email: info.lmcqueries@bma.org.uk (for LMC queries)
Email: info.gpc@bma.org.uk (for GPs and practices)
留言