Following the recent BMA ballot which you may have heard about in the press, we are writing to explain what this means for you and the future of General Practice.
GPs have for years been doing work that is not funded and not contracted due to gaps in commissioned services and pressures in secondary care services; they have been doing so out of concern for their patients and to ensure that you continue to receive the care you deserve. However, with chronic underfunding and increased demand it is no longer sustainable for GPs to continue working in this way.
Since 2015 we have seen 1600 Practices close or merge, there are 6 million more registered patients and 2000 fewer full time equivalent GPs across the country. Our funding levels are significantly lower than 2018 levels. This means we will be focussing on the safety and stability of our service going forwards.
Collective action is about working legitimately within our contracts. You may have heard this referred to in the press as industrial action; this is factually incorrect. We will not be doing anything that compromises your safety, and we will not currently be going on strike.
We hope you understand that we are taking this action to ensure that general practice locally, in Devon and across England is there for our patients in years to come, and hope for your forbearance.