Bma Gp Subscription Model Vote Sets England Ballot on Plan B
England’s bma gp subscription model vote will ask GPs to consider a Plan B alternative to the current contract, with the BMA saying the proposal would expand options for providing private services to patients. The ballot has been confirmed by the BMA and could take place any time up to June 2027.
Dr Katie Bramall and the ballot
Dr Katie Bramall, the BMA England GP committee chair, said: "The committee’s confidence in the future viability of their livelihoods, and of the profession itself within the NHS, is at an all-time low." She said the ballot is part of a wider consultation on support for an alternative contracting arrangement for general practice in England.
She also said: "Warnings have been repeatedly ignored by politicians that long-term under-investment in general practice, coupled with rising workloads, increasingly complex patient need, workforce attrition and contractual arrangements that leave practices vulnerable, will lead to GPs and practices being unable to deliver safe and sustainable care to their NHS patients."
Belfast and the current contract
The push for a ballot follows a vote earlier this month by local medical committees, which agreed that current GP contracts are "failing patients and practices alike." Doctors at the UK LMCs conference in Belfast also called for a strategy for exiting GMS contracts and for a ballot that includes a means-tested, subscription-based service, similar to those now being offered by NHS dentists.
Bramall said, "Under current contractual arrangements, GPs are prevented from meeting patient demand for some services." She added, "The latest contract imposition and the government’s demand for GPs to provide unlimited access is the final straw for many."
Timing before June 2027
The BMA said the precise timing of the ballot and the question to be put to GPs have yet to be agreed. It said the GP committee will take the time needed to ensure members are fully informed about the issues and potential consequences before voting begins.
GP leaders also announced this week that GPs across England will be asked to begin a fresh phase of collective action from 1 June unless the government addresses concerns about GP capacity and safety consequences linked to the contract.
