GPs in Northern Ireland will begin to take collective action this week in a bid to win more funding for general practice.

BMA Northern Ireland GPs committee chair Frances O’Hagan said it was a ‘last resort’ and that an immediate and sustainable solution was needed.

From this week, GP partners can choose to take action on several fronts, including limiting patient consultations to the recommended 25 per day, switching off medicines optimisation software when prescribing (using clinical judgement instead), and refusing to complete unfunded paperwork, including patient registration paperwork verification.

They can also serve notice on voluntary activity requested by secondary care, and insist on referrals for specialist appointments where clinically appropriate.

Dr O’Hagan said: ‘The decision to take collective action has not been made lightly; it is a last resort to draw attention to the critical needs of the general practice and to advocate for immediate funding and sustainable solutions. 

‘We have taken comprehensive legal advice and are making every effort to ensure that patient care remains as unaffected as possible during collective action. Patients are not the focus of our dispute; it is the department’s approach that is forcing us into action.’

Constructive discussion

She said the collective action was a ‘clear call’ to the health minister to recognise the severity of the situation and to take immediate and decisive action.

‘We need to reopen the negotiation for this year, and the minister allocate additional resources immediately to stabilise general practice and to engage in constructive discussions for sustainable, long-term improvements.

‘Only when he has done that can we begin to talk about next year and how GPs can work with the rest of the system to move more care into the community. We need immediate action to stabilise services before we can plan for long-term changes and improvements.’

She said GPs were willing to work collaboratively with the health minister and other stakeholders to protect and enhance patient care, but they couldn’t keep doing more for less money.

Senior appointment

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Department of Health had previously said it was ‘a matter of regret’ that agreement had not been reached on the general medical services contract but that its financial challenges were well-known.

Meanwhile the health minister Mike Nesbitt has announced that a senior surgeon had been appointed to lead a drive to reduce waiting lists. Professor Mark Taylor will be Northern Ireland’s first regional clinical director for elective care.

Prof Taylor, an hepato-pancreato-biliary surgeon at Belfast’s Mater Hospital, said he was honoured to take up the post. ‘Our hospital waiting lists are nothing short of a national shame and I intend to work relentlessly with department and health and social care colleagues to help turn things around.

‘This is a long-term challenge – the minister has spoken previously about being at the foothills of it. I will be devoting all my energies to it and I know colleagues will be doing the same.’

The health department published an elective care plan in May, backed with £215m.