Our priorities
Crisis in general practice
In July 2018, GPC wrote to the then-secretary of state for health, Matt Hancock MP, regarding the current crisis facing general practice. The letter outlines issues surrounding workload levels, expansion of the general practice and community workforce, technology and prevention, and adequate investment in primary care.
GPs and practices are under unprecedented pressure following COVID-19 and the hugely impressive involvement of general practice in delivering the vaccination programme, but also the major scale of the NHS backlog and recruitment and retention issue. This was highlighted in the speech by Dr Richard Vautrey, GPC UK chair, at the LMC UK conference 2021.
Read our 2018 letter to Matt Hancock MP
Read our guidance on managing workload
GP pensions and annual allowance
Following extensive lobbying on annual allowance and the pensions taper from the BMA there have been two important changes that affect the 2019/20 and subsequent tax years.
GP pensions and using scheme pays
GP workforce
Following the development and implementation of a range of national GP workforce initiatives over the last three to four years, we continue to update this resource with helpful guidance and practical support.
Controlling workload in general practice
We are proposing a workload control strategy to enable general practice to improve quality and safety, publicise reasonable safe workload limits and provide practices with practical tools to control workload.
Controlling workload in general practice strategy
COVID-19: trust GPs to lead
A set of principles addressing the need for change in general practice in England following the response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Primary care education tariff
GPC chair Richard Vautrey wrote to the secretary of state for health and social care to call for an increase in the funding of undergraduate placements in primary care.
Primary care education tariff letter
Urgent prescription for general practice
Our Responsive, safe and sustainable: our urgent prescription for general practice report highlights the increasing pressures that practices are under. The report called for immediate action as part of a ‘rescue package’, and long term to provide a sustainable, viable and vibrant future for general practice.
GPC UK policy and guidance is set out by the GPC UK policy groups below and the LMC UK conference.
- Guidance on service provision, reducing transmission, PPE, shielding patients and PCNs.
- Your entitlements with annual leave, managing home visits and if you're indemnified.
- How to manage your practice during coronavirus.
Surveys
By gathering your views and feedback, GPC is able to use surveys during negotiations and in discussions with the government, civil service and other organisations.
The BMA has undertaken over 10 COVID-19 tracker surveys since April 2020 to ensure the voice and experiences of UK doctors are heard by the public and Government.
The GP specific results of the fifth tracker survey, published on 1 June 2020, showed that the vast majority (85%) reported that the changes that they had made in the way that they were working had been very or somewhat effective at combatting the pandemic. The survey also indicated that a large majority (88%) wanted to maintain the greater use of remote consultations and 77% want to use video technology to a greater extent for clinical and MDT meetings in the future.
The following survey, published 21 June 2020, highlighted the scale of extra work being taken on by GPs during the pandemic, something that is continuing to increase. The survey showed that a lack of robust IT systems and digital solutions to help secondary care colleagues to complete necessary tasks and which can lead to work being transferred to general practice without sustainable services being put in place.
The seventh tracker survey, published 9 July 2020, revealed a significant increase in requests for practices to do additional activity without the necessary funding or workforce being made available to make this change sustainable.
The impact of the delay in releasing national COVID-19 funding for general practices was also highlighted in the survey which showed that significant numbers of practices were not being reimbursed by their CCGs for out of pocket expenses directly linked to tackling COVID-19.
See all our COVID tracker and vaccine surveys.
The BMA GP committee surveyed members about their practices as part of the GP premises review.
Our people
Chair: Katie Bramall-Stainer
Deputy Chair: Frances O’Hagan
Executive team:
Iain Morrison, chair of GPC Scotland
Gareth Oelmann, chair of GPC Wales
Mark Steggles, chair of Sessional GPs
Amy Critchfield and Victoria McKay, co-chairs of GP Registrars
Non-voting members: Ex officio
President, Dr Mary McCarthy
Chair of the representative body, Latifa Patel
Chair of council, Philip Banfield
Deputy Chair of council, Emma Runswick
Treasurer, Trevor Pickersgill
Voting Members: Ex officio
Chair of the UK LMC conference, Matt Mayer
Deputy chair of the UK LMC conference, Alastair Taylor
Elected by the annual representative meeting 2024
England
Samuel Parker
Surendra Kumar
Lucy-Jane Davis
Danielle McSeveney
Mark Coley
Amy Small
Tilna Tilakkumar
Scotland
Stuart Blake
Wales
Om Aggarwal
Northern Ireland
Andrew Wilson
Elected by the UK LMC conference
Andrew Buist
David Wrigley
Manu Agarwal
Simon Minkoff
Gerard McHale
Anwar Tufail
Voting nominees of other bodies
Medical Women’s Federation
Caroline Delves
Medical Practitioners' Union (two representatives)
Jackie Applebee
Tom Riddington
British International Doctors Association
Rakesh Sharma
Under-represented groups (voting members)
Prison doctors
Bethan Roberts
GP within first five years post CCT
Caroline Rodgers
Non-voting nominees of other bodies:
Royal College of General Practitioners - Victoria Tzortziou-Brown and other
Wales
Gareth Oelmann
Ian Harris
Sara Bodey
England
Katie Bramall-Stainer
Samira Anane
Julius Parker
Scotland
Iain Morrison
Al Miles
Chris Black
Northern Ireland
Frances O’Hagan
Ciaran Mullan
Conor Moore
Sessional GPs
Mark Steggles
Krishan Aggarwal
Veno Suri
GP Registrars
Amy Critchfield/ Victoria McKay
Cheska Ball
TBC
Policy Groups
Policy Lead for Representation – Rachel Ali
Policy Lead for Education and Training – Sarah Matthews
Equalities Champion – TBC
GPC UK's policy groups focus on specific workstreams, and deliver work on behalf of GPC UK. You can find out more about our policy groups and their work below.
Representation
The representation policy group leads on all matters related to representation of GPs in the BMA, democratic accountability, representation of GP principals, sessional GPs and GP trainees in GPC structures and representation of historically marginalised groups in GPC structures include but not limited to female GPs, GPs from ethnic minority backgrounds and disabled GPs.
Contact us: [email protected]
Education and training
The Education and training policy group leads on all education and training issues of relevance to the general practice workforce.
Contact us: [email protected]
Associated committees
Our meetings
The UK GPC meets twice a year to discuss the latest issues facing general practice. These meetings are open to GPC members, however, the committee also welcomes observers from LMCs (local medical committees).
LMCs interested in sending an observer to a GPC meeting should contact the GPC office to arrange a suitable date. All travel and other expenses for LMC observers must be met by the relevant LMC. A maximum of three LMC observers may attend any one meeting.
Meeting dates:
- Thursday 17 October 2024
- Thursday 6 March 2025
All meetings take place from 10am to 5pm either virtually or at:
BMA House
Tavistock Square
London
WC1H 9JP
For more information about GPC meetings, email [email protected]
How to join
There are many advantages to becoming involved in our committees. You can actively influence BMA policy-making and negotiations, represent your colleagues' voices and develop your leadership skills.
Each committee has a few routes to becoming an elected member. In the case of GPC UK, these are:
- Seats/term - every year, a third of the 43 UK regions elect a representative for a three-session term.
- Timeline - elections are usually held in February or March.
- Eligibility - all GPs who BMA members are eligible to stand if they live or work in the relevant regions. All GPs can vote in this election.
- Seats/term - every year, seven delegates of the LMC conference are elected to GPC UK for a one-session term.
- Timeline - elections are held at the LMC conference in May.
- Eligibility - only LMC conference delegates can stand and vote in this election.
- Seats/term - every year, elections for 10 seats on GPC UK take place for a one-session term.
- Timeline - the nomination period opens a month before ARM, and voting closes a few days after ARM.
- Eligibility - all UK GPs BMA members can stand for election but only ARM delegates can vote.
The election section below is kept up to date with details about any running elections, so make sure you keep checking it throughout the year.
Elections
Elections to the GPC are now closed.
Get in touch
If you are interested in finding out more about the work of GPC, email [email protected]
Take part in one of our free courses designed to give you the right skills to:
- break down equality and inclusion bias (CPD-accredited)
- value difference and inclusivity
- live our BMA behaviour principles.
The BMA is working to meet the challenges that women face in the medical profession.
Stand for a BMA committee and be part of this change.
Resources
- Work schedule
- Guidance for managing work schedules in general practice
- 2016 resident doctor contract terms and conditions (England)
- 2002 resident doctor contract terms and conditions (Scotland, Wales, NI)
- GP registrar annual leave, sick leave and study leave
- Travel expenses for doctors
- Training in the UK and your visa