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In a speech on Friday at the Royal College of GPs conference in Liverpool, the health secretary Wes Streeting is expected to call for an end to collective action by GPs, noting that it “will only punish patients”. He will acknowledge the reasons behind the previous government receiving criticism and feeling dissatisfied with the current state of affairs. However, he will urge doctors to not “shut your doors to patients” but to instead “work with us to rebuild the NHS together”.
A ballot, conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA), saw 98.3% of the 8.500 GPs who took part vote in favour of taking collective action such as working-to-rule. The BMA subsequently recommended 10 protocols for surgeries to action, including limiting patients seen each day to 25 and a stoppage of work when not contracted to do so. NHS England warned that such action may not only disrupt GP services, but also impact A&E waits and delay referrals for orthopaedic surgeries.
Streeting is also expected to reveal plans for a reduction in the amount of paperwork for GPs in order to increase patient-facing hours as part of the Red Tape challenge. He will outline a reform agenda that focuses on three healthcare changes – a move from analogue to digital, hospital to community, and sickness to prevention.
Officials will seek feedback from GPs, hospitals and integrated care boards about changes they would like to see, which will then be relayed to primary and secondary carers and eventually passed on to NHS England CEO Amanda Pritchard early next year. Pritchard acknowledges that GPS and NHS staff are under immense pressure. She believes that the NHS should share and implement processes that can relieve some of this weight.
Streeting was criticised for calling the NHS “broken”, especially considering previous comments made by the government regarding cancer being a “death sentence” due to healthcare failings and maternity services that “shamed” the country. Sources from within the health service expressed concerns that these statements may dissuade patients from seeking the necessary care and cause long-term damage to staff morale. Last month, junior doctors in England agreed to stop strike action, reaching a deal that ended one of the longest-running disputes in NHS history; it had resulted in 44 days of disruptions across 11 strikes since March 2023
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