GPs in England have voted to go back into dispute with the Government over upcoming contract changes which will require surgeries to allow patients to request appointments online.
The reforms, due to come into effect in October, would enable people to make the requests for non-urgent problems, with the aim to free up phone lines for urgent inquiries and help end the 8am rush to schedule appointments over the phone.
The British Medical Association (BMA), the trade union for doctors, said its GP Committee believes allowing unlimited online requests without safety measure “opens the floodgates to an already stretched GP workforce”.
The BMA added that online systems are not able to distinguish between non-urgent and urgent patient inquiries and GPs are concerned this could mean serious problems get missed.
The committee, which has voted to enter into dispute with the Government, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England from October 1, will first consider whether any action could be taken to challenge the lawfulness of the Government’s position on safety measures in the proposed online systems.
It is the latest in a long line of industrial health disputes in recent months, including a five-day walkout by resident doctors in July.
Committee chairwoman Dr Katie Bramall said: “We know that the public’s number one NHS priority is general practice, so it’s disappointing to see the Government being prepared to risk patient safety, practice workforce wellbeing and GP retention, when solving this would not cost a single penny.
“GPs have a track record of being the first to embrace and embed technology in the NHS so long as it’s safe and fit for purpose but imposing such changes on general practice, ignoring our repeated warnings, will do the opposite of ‘bringing back the family doctor’.
“But all is not lost – we still have time in the coming days for Government to meet us halfway. We will explore all options, but I’m sure our patients and the profession would rather we find a resolution in the coming days. We want to work with the Government in delivering an NHS that we know is safe.”
A DHSC spokesperson said: “The shift from analogue to digital is a key part our 10-year health plan to help fix the front door of the NHS and in 2025, patients rightly expect to be able contact their GP online.
“There are GP surgeries already successfully rolling out online appointment requests, showing it works for patients and practices. The BMA signed up to and agreed this policy with GPs, and we remain committed to wanting to work together to implement this as efficiently as possible.”
