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GPs vote for funding action as 'warnings fall on deaf ears'

Ross McKee
BBC News NI
BBC Dr Frances O'Hagan, with blonde hair and blue top, facing the camera.BBC
BMA NI GP committee chair, Dr Frances O'Hagan, said the result of the ballot sent a "clear and unequivocal message" to the health minister

GP partners in Northern Ireland have voted in favour of taking collective action as part of their fight for increased funding for general practice.

Almost 80% of GP partners who are British Medical Association (BMA) members took part in the ballot of which 98.7% voted in favour of action.

The medics' trade union said this will see GP practices withdrawing some non-funded services.

BMA NI GP committee chair, Dr Frances O'Hagan, said the result sent a "clear and unequivocal message" to Health Minister Mike Nesbitt.

"We have been warning for well over a decade now that general practice was not being funded to meet the needs of growing patient lists and that failure to act on this would have consequences on patient care," she said.

"Frustratingly, these warnings have fallen on deaf ears."

Getty Images Doctor in white coat with blue shirt and silver pen, points at notepad.Getty Images
The BMA made a number of proposed collective actions in relation to the ballot

Dr O'Hagan said the health minister "wants to shift healthcare services into the community where general practice sits at the core" and hopes to achieve this "by imposing an under-funded contract and publicly dismissing GPs' valid concerns on how this will impact patients in these very same communities".

"It is demoralising and has left GPs with no choice but to vote in favour of collective action."

Dr O'Hagan said the "imposed contract would serve to work against improving patient access".

GPs 'left with no choice'

She called on the health minister to "act urgently" and resume contract negotiations.

"Not one GP who voted in favour of collective action wants to have to go down this road, but they feel they have been left with no choice.

"The minister needs to demonstrate that he values general practice and that he has our backs by coming back to the negotiating table with an improved 2025/2026 contract offer."

The BMA had made a number of proposed collective actions in relation to the ballot.

These included:

  • Limiting daily patient consultations per clinician to the UEMO (European Union of General Practitioners) recommended safe maximum of 25
  • Serving notice on any voluntary activity
  • Ceasing completion of unfunded paperwork
  • Switching off Medicines Optimisation Software
Mike Nesbitt, wearing dark blue jacket, white shirt and pink tie.
Health minister Mike Nesbitt has said he remains open to discussion "as to how best to secure the future of general practice"

In a statement on Friday, the Department of Health (DoH) said it acknowledges the outcome of the ballot, but said it has not yet received details of the planned collective action.

It stressed that any action must respect contractual obligations, protect patient safety, and maintain service access.

The department said it recognises that the primary care system is under "considerable and sustained pressure" while also acknowledging the dedication of GPs and their teams in meeting patient demand.

The DoH stated that, given the department's well-known financial constraints, the additional £9.5 million offered in the 2025/26 GMS [General Medical Services] contract "represented the best possible offer."

"It is a matter of regret that the department has not been able to reach agreement," the spokesperson added.

The department said, as stated by Health Minister Mike Nesbitt on 19 May, that it remains open to discussions on securing the future of general practice.

They said an invitation has been extended to NIGPC to begin formal negotiations on a new GMS contract, aimed at stabilising and modernising general practice, making it more equitable and aligned with population needs as part of a neighbourhood model of care.