GP strike on the cards

STRIKES by GPs could be on the table, leading medics have said, as a new poll revealed that the majority of family doctors are in favour of industrial action.

Dr David Wrigley, deputy chairman of the England GP Committee at the British Medical Association (BMA), said family doctors in England are “frustrated, angry and upset”. Meanwhile, he said, thousands of GPs cannot find work due to a lack of flexibility in a scheme designed to boost GP team numbers – with one forced to take up work as an Uber driver.

It comes amid a row over the new contract for GP services in England. The BMA has said the contract, which will see services given a 1.9% funding uplift for 2024/25, means many GP surgeries will struggle to stay financially viable. It said it is considering “next steps” after a referendum of GPs, carried out by the union, found that 99% of 19,000 GPs rejected the new contract.