Dr Clare Bannon has been elected as the new chair of the General Practitioners Committee for England (GPC England).

Dr Bannon will start her new role from Thursday, 9th July, when she will take over from outgoing chair Dr Katie Bramall, who has held the position since 2023.  

A GP based in Barnsley since 2010, Dr Bannon has held a variety of roles within the clinical commissioning group (CCG), integrated care board (ICBs) and local medical committee (LMC) locally. On GPC England she has served as Deputy Chair and as Policy Lead for both Clinical and Prescribing, and Practice Business since joining the committee in 2021. She has led on national work for prescribing COVID therapeutics and recently led work exploring alternatives to GP-issued fit notes to reduce unnecessary workload. 

Celebrating the result, Dr Clare Bannon chair-elect said:

“I am delighted to have been elected chair of GPC England. This is a demanding role at an incredibly challenging time for the profession, but I believe those challenges can be overcome. 

“My focus will be on representing the interests of GPs, improving patient care, transforming general practice, and helping to bring together a fractured primary care system. The future of general practice is too important to leave to chance.

“GPs are seeing more patients than ever, with increasingly complex needs, while our responsibilities continue to grow with little support. As chair, I will seek to unite the committee behind a strategy that improves the working lives of GPs across the profession, including for sessional colleagues on whom practices rely so heavily on. 

“Every GP deserves to feel valued, supported and represented. That is the culture my leadership will foster, and those are the values I will demonstrate. I must emphasise that despite the change in leadership, I remain ready to ballot the profession and proceed with further action if another unacceptable contract is imposed. I want to take a collaborative approach but that should not be mistaken for weakness.  

“I also want to thank Dr Katie Bramall for her generous contribution to the profession. She has given so much of her personal and professional time to furthering the interests of GPs, from negotiating with successive governments and leading GPs through two rounds of collective action, to securing the largest GMS investment since 2004. 

“Katie’s impact will be felt for generations to come, and we thank her.” 

Ends

Notes to editors

Dr Bannon was elected unopposed and will take up office on 9th July 2026 at the GPC England meeting.  

Contested seats for deputy officers will be announced in due course.  

Dr Katie Bramall remains chair of GPC UK until October 2026.

The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.