GP collective action
In March 99% of the around 17,000 BMA GP members who participated in our referendum voted to reject the 26/27 contract changes. GPC England then voted unanimously to prioritise negotiations with Government on two key issues: mandated use of advice and guidance, and addressing the excessive workload cause by new requirements around patient access to online requests and queries.
We are urging GP partnerships and practices across England to take part in collective action to stay safe and sustainable in the face of the 2026/27 imposed GP contract.
The ongoing dispute between GPs and the Government
The BMA GPCE has been in dispute with the Government since 1 October 2025. Although it was precipitate by unsafe contract changes brought in at that time, our dispute centred on one key promise made by the Government. These were the written ministerial commitments (March) and (August) to meaningful and bilateral negotiations on GMS contract investment and renewal.
GPCE has called for urgent restoration of General Practice funding to ensure safe and continuous patient care for the communities GPs serve across England. The then GPCE chair wrote to the then Secretary of State for Health and Care to confirm the above. Our position was reconfirmed in a subsequent letter.
Following the change in political leadership, GPCE has decided not to escalate collective action this month, giving the newly elected GPCE Officer Team time to meet the new DHSC ministerial team and seek agreements that reassures the profession and avoids the need for further escalation.
The dispute can be resolved if the DHSC agrees a clear roadmap and timeframe for ongoing bilateral negotiations with GPCE, ultimately leading to restoration of General Practice investment to required levels by uplifting GMS contract funding by £40-£50 per patient.
Collective action guidance
GPCE has been announcing one new action per month. Details of these can be found in our guide on collective action.
From 1 August, the focus is on raising public awareness of the challenges facing general practice. Practices are encouraged to share patient information materials, signpost patients to the campaign webpage and public petition, and help build understanding of why investment and contractual reform are needed to protect safe, sustainable GP services.
Share our short videos:
- Sign our petition, take action to protect patient care
- Worried about the future of your GP practice?
Download our posters for patients on the safety of their medical record and supporting their local GP:
- From 1 July, collective action focuses on new invitations to provide shared care. Shared care arrangements should only be agreed under a locally commissioned agreement with the LMC, with clear clinical responsibility and adequate resource. Without clearly commissioned pathways, new invitations to provide shared care should be declined.
- From 1 June, GP practices across England were asked to remove or ignore any non-contractual medicines optimisation software for new prescriptions and to amend their acute prescribing choices.
- From 1 May, the action was around data sharing, and urging practices to cease signing up to any new voluntary data sharing agreements (DSAs).
Why you should take part
Participating in these actions keeps your practice safe and puts pressure on the Government to address the unsustainable demands and unsafe rationing of care facing our profession. Proposed actions are straightforward and will not breach your contract.
Background
GPC England recognises that practices are working in crisis-level environments, where every day feels ‘exceptional’ in terms of unlimited demand outstripping available workforce capacity. For too many, given this rationing of care, being placed in a position where delivering impossible imposed contract changes is unreasonable and unsafe.
The imposed contract prevents us from delivering the cradle-to-grave holistic preventative care that has defined UK general practice since 1948. Instead, it means daily firefighting on a shrinking share of the NHS budget.
Our practice list sizes and GP-to-patient ratios have expanded, whilst our ability to offer continuity of care is shrinking. We have lost over 6,500 (30%) GP partners since 2015 and the chronic shortage of family doctors has led to ‘GP deserts’ across England.
Headline Government GP contract changes for 2026-27
The GMS contract can only be varied if the requirements in the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2015 are followed. The variation must take effect no earlier than 14 days after the notice is served, where reasonably practicable.