GPs in England are to be balloted over whether an alternative strategy for the provision of general practice services should be considered, the BMA has confirmed. 

In a forthcoming BMA session, GPs will vote on whether the BMA GPs committee England should explore alternative service models for general practice, including giving GPs greater freedom to provide private, means-tested and subscription-based services in line with the approach taken by NHS dentists. 

The decision to ballot comes following a motion passed at this month’s local medical committee conference, which argued that it is ‘no longer financially viable’ for general practice to operate within the NHS and that the current imposed GP contracts ‘are failing patients and practices alike’.  

Describing the move to ballot as an action of last resort, BMA GPs committee chair England chair Katie Bramall (pictured above) said that the failure of successive governments to protect GPs and address the fundamental challenges around under-investment and unsustainable workloads meant that her committee had no choice but to consult GPs over a ‘viable way forward’. 

She said: ‘The committee’s confidence in the future viability of their livelihoods and of the profession itself within the NHS is at an all-time low.  

‘Warnings have been repeatedly ignored by politicians that long-term under-investment in general practice coupled with rising workloads, increasingly complex patient need, workforce attrition and contractual arrangements that leave practices vulnerable, will lead to GPs and practices unable to deliver safe and sustainable care to their NHS patients.’ 

She added: ‘This exploration of an alternative model is a consequence of political and systemic failures over many years. This didn’t happen overnight; it’s been a slow and gradual deterioration of the profession and now the profession wants to know more about any alternatives or exit routes.  

‘The need for this ballot can be prevented, but this Government must urgently engage with the very real concerns GPs have for their wellbeing and livelihoods, or we risk losing NHS general practice entirely. The latest contract imposition and government demands for GPs to provide unlimited access is the final straw for many.’ 

GPs in England are currently engaged in collective action in response to the Government's decision to impose new terms in national general medical services and personal medical services 2026/27 contracts in April. 

The contracts, which were roundly rejected by almost 17,000 GPs participating in a BMA-led referendum in February this year, have been strongly criticised for failing to provide any adequate investment to general practice while requiring GPs to expand the services they provide. 

Particular points of contention within the contracts include a requirement for GPs to provide unlimited same-day access for patients with urgent clinical needs, and an end to the capping of online consultation requests that must be responded to even when working at full capacity. 

More information on the ballot will be available in due course