Emergency Lincolsnhire LMC meeting- 28th October 7pm

Date sent: Tuesday 26 October 2021

Sent to Lincolnshire GPs and practice managers

Access, Support, and Industrial Action

BMA General Practitioner’s Committee (GPC) met on 21st October 2021 to discuss the “Access and Support” package offered by NHSEI. GPC unanimously rejected this package and is encouraging GP practices and LMCs to not engage with CCGs in respect of this package.

Lincolnshire LMC invite all Lincolnshire GPs and prctice managers to an emergency LMC meeting on 28th October to discuss GPCs proposals.

GPC felt that the proposed package does not support practices to provide patient care and increases bureaucratic demand on practices.

What have GPC asked practices to do?

GPC discussed various options and have suggested that practices should immediately:

Offer patients consultations that are 15 minutes or more
Apply to close the practice list in order to focus on the needs of existing patients
Stop all non-GMS work to give priority to GMS care
Reject all shifted work from secondary care that has not been formally commissioned
Not accept additional NHS 111 referrals above the contractual 1 per 3000 patients
Stop unnecessary cost based prescribing audits and focus on quality care
Decline to do additional extended access sessions beyond routine patterns of working to focus on the core work of the practice and to maintain personal wellbeing.

Practices can also choose to:

Pause all ARRS recruitment and to disengage from the demands of the PCN DES.
Submit undated resignations from the PCN DES to be held by their LMCs, only to be issued on the condition that submissions by a critical mass of more than 50% of eligible practices is received

Practices can withdraw from PCN DES up to 31st October without breaching their contract.

Industrial action

GPC has also suggested some actions which may constitute industrial or collective action and would thus need a vote of the profession to be sanctioned by the BMA. These actions include:

Refusal to engage or comply with the unreasonable contractual imposition of pay declarations
Refusal to engage or comply with COVID-19 medical exemption certification
Refusal to provide specific data relating to appointment types

Emergency virtual LMC meeting

Lincolnshire LMC would like to discuss these various options with GPs and practice managers so will convene an emergency LMC meeting on Thursday 28th October 2021 at 7pm, on Teams

Teams has a limit of 300 attendees, so if practices can join in groups that will allow more people to attend. Click here to join the meeting

Dr Kieran Sharrock