GP leaders vote to ballot on strike action

Scottish GP leaders have voted in favour of a motion to ballot workers on taking industrial action over pay, blaming "years of disinvestment in general practice".

At the conference for BMA Scotland's Local Medical Committee (LMC) in Clydebank, representatives said it was important to "make the Scottish government see the harm they have caused and redress the balance of healthcare provision."

The LMC represent GPs in regions throughout Scotland and said GPs were not given fair pay awards compared to other doctors in the NHS.

The Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray said that extra funding would help practices retain staff.

The LMC argued that staff have faced funding cuts instead of uplifts.

A spokesperson for Grampian LMC, who put the motion forward, said the call for a ballot on industrial action was supported unanimously.

The spokesperson said: "Industrial action is not an easy step for independent contractor GPs to take.

"We know the patients we care for well, and we know what a restriction in services would mean to them.

"However, this needs to be balanced with the significantly higher risk of a longer-term reduction in service due to 15 years of chronic underfunding of general practice, and the risk of harm to patients that will result from this."

Last month the Scottish government announced a total increase to general medical services of 7.5% with an intended uplift of 6% for GP pay.

The government later announced an overall 11% pay uplift to NHS consultants.

Dr Iain Morrison, who chairs the BMA's Scottish GP committee, said: "As much as we are pleased for our friends and colleagues who are deserving of steps towards pay restoration, it simply adds to the evidence that the Scottish government values other doctors more than ourselves."

The committee unveiled the results of a pay survey completed by more than 1,100 GPs across Scotland, where 86% said this year's pay award was not enough.

And nearly two thirds say they are more likely to leave the NHS as a result.

Dr Morrison said: "Worryingly, 65% are prepared to cause significant service disruption through industrial action.

"For this to come from one of the most altruistic vocations, shows that government must work with us at pace to recover the dire situation.

"Otherwise, we will be left with no other choice than to move in this direction, as a last resort to save general practice as we know it."

Dr Morrison urged the government to increase funding from 6.5% of the NHS budget to 15% to allow for the recruitment of 1,800 whole-time equivalent GPs.

He added: "We will strive to work with all stakeholders in addressing the imbalance in funding for the health service that has plagued our profession since 2004.

"Since this time we have seen general practice’s share of the NHS budget persistently eroded from 11% in 2004 to 6.5% now.

"This has directly led to the number of whole time equivalent GPs across Scotland flatlining and now receding. At the same time consultant posts have risen significantly.

"The warm words from this government about their recognition of general practice and the need to shift resource and care delivery into our communities had its lack of sincerity brutally exposed with this year’s pay awards."

At the conference, the health secretary committed to allocating an additional £13.6m for general practice this financial year to support staff costs.

He said: "GPs are essential to the delivery of high quality, sustainable general practice services, and that is why I today announced an additional £13.6 million of funding in this financial year to help practices recruit and retain key staff.

“Scotland has a higher number of GPs per head than the rest of the UK, and a record 1,200 plus trainee GPs coming through the training system. We are determined to increase the number of GPs in Scotland by 800, by 2027."

He also pointed to an expansion of the "primary care multi-disciplinary team workforce" and increased funding to General Medical Services.

Earlier Gray told conference attendees he took their feedback "seriously" and would continue to advocate for GPs.

He said: "This additional funding will help GPs to underpin business decisions and provide high-quality patient care.

"Sustainable reform of the NHS means we must look to shift more care to primary and community care with a relentless focus on better outcomes for people."

Dr Morrison welcomed the funding announcement as "a step in the right direction in terms of redressing the loss of funding directly delivered to GPs in recent years."

However he said there was "still considerable distance to travel to deliver the more equitable funding settlement for general practice that is clearly required to put the profession on a sustainable footing."