GP industrial action could send 1.2 million more people to A&E, NHS chiefs fear.
Family doctors are planning the first mass “work to rule” protest in decades.
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The British Medical Association says they are underpaid and burdened with dangerously long patient lists.
Thousands of people across England are expected to reduce the number of appointments available, stop working overtime and refer more patients directly to hospital.
Projections leaked by NHS England suggest the move could cost half a billion pounds.
If family doctors reduce their workload by 30 percent between August and November, it could lead to 1.2 million more emergency room visits, according to a report in the Health Service Journal.
Emergency departments are already busier than ever this year, with more than two million visitors a month and a record 2.4 million in May.
Another 430,000 people would be added to hospital waiting lists, a further 1.8 million would go to pharmacies and a further 1.8 million would call NHS 111, the report estimated.
This scenario could cost the health service £570 million.
Strikes by nurses, junior doctors and consultants are estimated to have cost more than £1.5 billion.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “I understand why GPs chose to vote in opposition to the previous government, because under the Conservatives general practice was destroyed.
“And we ended up in a situation where patients couldn’t get a doctor’s appointment and yet qualified doctors couldn’t get a job. This is how absurd things became.
“I think I have demonstrated in just the first four weeks of this Labor Government my determination to work with GPs and primary care to fix the NHS gateway and as far as I am concerned this collective action is unnecessary because we now have a Government that is committed to working with GPs to turn things around, to rebuild general practice for the benefit of patients.
“And the risk of this collective action is that it is not the Conservatives who are punished for their failure, but rather patients and other parts of the NHS (who) will pick up the pieces.
“I urge GPs to work with the government to rebuild general practice.”
Speaking during a visit to Leeds Cancer Centre, he added: “We have already taken immediate action to tackle GP unemployment by responding to the mass petition that was sent about GP unemployment.
“I’m not pretending that this is the total solution to the problem, but I think it’s an indication of serious intentions.
“My message to GPs is: I understand you have been pushed to the limit.
“I want a much better relationship with GPs than the previous Conservative government.
“And we can only change 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 indeed an end to GPs simply having a contractual relationship with the Government .
“I want to have a serious professional partnership, and that’s not just with GPs, but with staff across the NHS, because we will need to work as a team to get our NHS back on its feet and ensure it is in shape for the future.”
Having my life saved by the NHS, I can’t think of a better way to spend my life than saving our NHS
Wes Street
An NHS spokesperson said: “As industrial action has only just begun, it is not yet clear what the impact is.
“We continue to work with GPs, the BMA and the government to resolve and bring the action to a close.”
The dispute erupted over a new contract which saw GP services receive a 1.9 per cent funding increase for 2024/25.
The BMA argued that, as a result, many practices would struggle to remain financially viable.
GPs launched a formal dispute over the issue in April after a union-run referendum found that 99 percent of the 19,000 GPs rejected the contract.
As a result, GPs voted overwhelmingly in favor of taking collective action – 98.3 percent of the 8,500 GPs voted in favor of the 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 not to carry out work they are not formally contracted to do, refusing to share patient data unless it is in the patient’s best interests, and refer patients directly to specialists. rather than following NHS processes.
Practices could also potentially ignore “rationing” restrictions, “prescribing whatever is in the patient’s best interest.”
‘CRITICAL STAGE’
Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of the BMA’s GP committee for England, said: “We have had some positive conversations with the new Health Secretary over the last few weeks, and there is an opportunity now to work together to fix general practice , as a critical step in repairing the NHS.
“Our plans were implemented in March and our timetable was confirmed before the General Election was announced.
“It is an inalienable fact that practices continue to close and experienced GPs leave the NHS workforce.
“In this context, our collective action aims to mitigate these two measures, with the support of more than 98 percent of BMA GP partner members who voted.
“The new Secretary of Health wants to rebuild trust, and we agree. Our members’ action was planned to be a ‘slow burn’ precisely so that the new Government has time to consider and consult with us on solutions.
“An immediate first step would be to ensure that the six per cent DDRB increase is fully funded, including costs, so that practices can afford to pass on the Government’s declared pay increase to their staff without collapsing more practices. “
What does this mean for you
GPs in England have voted overwhelmingly in favor of unprecedented industrial action, but what does this mean and what are the potential impacts on patients?
More than 8,500 GPs took part in a British Medical Association (BMA) poll, with 98.3 per cent voting in favor of collective action.
– Why are GPs staging industrial action?
The BMA has argued that the new GP contract, which will see services receive a 1.9 per cent funding increase for 2024/25, means many surgeries will struggle to remain financially viable.
GPs launched a formal dispute over the issue in April after a union-run referendum found that 99 percent of the 19,000 GPs rejected the contract.
The vote, which closed earlier this week, received votes from more than 8,500 GPs, according to the BMA, with 98.3 per cent voting in favor of collective action.
– When will it start?
The collective action for the British GPs begins on August 1st.
– How long is the action expected to last?
It can last for months. Earlier this week, Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of the BMA England General Practitioners Committee, said the action was designed to be “easy, sustainable and effective” because it could last “week after week, week after month , month after week.” month”.
– What measures can GPs take during this period?
The BMA recommends a list of 10 actions for surgery, with practices being able to choose how many to implement.
These include GPs limiting the number of patients seen per day to 25, potentially choosing to stop carrying out work they are not formally contracted to do, and choosing not to share patient data unless it is in the patient’s best interests.
Does the BMA also recommend that surgeries stop “rationing referrals, investigations and admissions?” referring patients to specialized care when clinically appropriate.
– Will I still be able to see my family doctor?
Yes. GP practices are still required to open from 8am to 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, during industrial action.
NHS England has urged patients to attend for care as usual.
– How will patients be impacted?
Bramall-Stainer has previously said that if action is taken effectively “it will cripple the NHS very quickly – but not for patients (for) all of the NHS administrators, the policymakers who have implemented these decisions who are not helping patients.”
However, experts warned that collective action could have an impact on the public and the health service in general.
NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said the action “will hit patients hard as wider NHS services feel the knock-on effects”, while think tank The King’s Fund said the action could result in “thousands” of people using services such as 111, pharmacies and A&E departments.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Health Secretary Wes Streeting also warned that industrial action “will only punish patients”.
– When was the last time GPs took action?
The last time GPs took “collective action” was in 1964, when GPs collectively handed in undated resignations to the Wilson government, according to Dr Bramall-Stainer.
This led to reform, including the 1965 Family Doctor’s Charter.
A proportion of GPs organized industrial action in 2012 in protest against increases in pension contributions and an older retirement age for doctors.
Estimates suggest that between a fifth and a third of practices participated in the action.
Dr Bramall-Stainer has previously said she wants to speak to the current government about a GP Charter 2025 – 60 years after the original.
Mr Streeting was asked about industrial action during his visit to Leeds, where he saw a range of new technologies being used in healthcare services.
He said: “I’m in Leeds today because they are leading the way in using some of the latest treatments and technologies to diagnose and treat cancer.
“And having been through kidney cancer, this is an issue that is very close to my heart and certainly spurs my drive to ensure the NHS is available to everyone who needs it, as it was for me.
“Having my life saved by the NHS, I can’t think of a better way to spend my life than saving our NHS.
“In fact, I have been very outspoken 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 ensure it is fit for the future.
“And I think it’s important that, whilst we recognize the enormous challenges facing the NHS, we also inspire confidence and hope that it can be rebuilt through some of the excellent leadership work at national and, in some cases, international level that is being performed.”
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 medical technology and life sciences in the UK, but also across the world, and that we are able to get the latest treatments and technologies proven and then implemented for the benefit of UK patients and be a world leader in this area.”
The BMA has been contacted for comment.
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