General practitioners committee UK overview

Our priorities

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.

Read our guidance on GP pensions and using scheme pays

Recognition of GPs as specialists

In January 2017, the GMC (General Medical Council) backed our long-standing call for GPs to be added to the specialist register. Together with the RCGP (Royal College of GPs), we released a joint statement in February 2018 calling for the formal recognition of general practitioners as specialists in the UK. The BMA, RCGP and GMC issued a further statement in September 2019 calling for changes to the Medical Act to formally recognise GPs as expert medical generalists and specialists in general practice.

Read the 2019 joint statement

GP partnership review

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published an independent review into GP partnerships. The review was chaired by Dr Nigel Watson, in collaboration with the DHSC, NHS England, GPC and the Royal College of GPs.

Read the independent review

Crisis in general practice (UK)

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. We urged Mr Hancock to work with the BMA GPC to find a swift resolution to the crisis in general practice.

Read our 2018 letter to Matt Hancock MP
Read our guidance on managing workload

Capita service failures

Primary Care Support England (PCSE) service failures
PCSE, also known as Capita, have been responsible for the delivery of NHS England's primary care support services since September 2015. During that time, serious concerns have been raised about the service, with both patient safety and GP finances being affected. Issues are still ongoing despite continued talks between the BMA and NHS England.

Read our guidance on PCSE service failures

GP workforce (UK)

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.

Read our GP workforce guidance

Specialist prescribing (UK)

GPC wrote to the GMC to highlight concerns raised by practices about specialist prescribing for patients, such as those with gender dysphoria. The letter outlines the need to ensure patients have access to the specialist treatment they need.

Read our letter to the GMC and the reply from the GMC
Read our guidance on gender dysphoria

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.

Read the letter

Focus on quality indicators for QOF

GPC has produced a briefing on quality indicators to provide background and context in preparation for the negotiations to the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and the potential changes following the recent QOF review, led by NHS England. The GPC has highlighted, and NHS England agrees, that a significant proportion of QOF funding is core income for practices and is an essential resource used for the employment of practice staff.

Read the QOF briefing
Read the NHS report of the QOF review in England

NHS standard contract 2017 - 19

The NHS standard contract for secondary care trusts places requirements on hospitals to reduce inappropriate bureaucratic workload shift onto GP practices. GPC has drafted template letters for LMCs in the event that these changes are not being implemented.

Access the templates

GPC surveys

GPC is working to create a better environment to allow GPs to deliver high quality general practice to patients. By gathering your views and feedback, GPC is able to use these surveys during negotiations and in discussions with the government, civil service and other organisations.

Saving general practice

The Saving general practice report, published in November 2017, sets out the BMA’s proposed solutions to address significant challenges within general practice. It lays out the areas that need to be addressed, such as workforce strategy, underfunding and workload pressures.

COVID-19 has has highlighted that these issues still need to be addressed urgently.

View the report

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.

Download the report

Our people

The GPC has 86 members, 43 of whom are directly elected regional representatives. The remainder are either elected at the annual representative meeting (ARM), appointed from subcommittees or groups, or are ex-officio members.

We also have representatives from the sessional GPs committee, the GP trainees committee, Medical Women’s Federation, the Medical Practitioners Union, and British International Doctors Association.

Chair: Dr Richard Vautrey

Nations chairs:
Alan Stout, chair of Northern Ireland GPC
Philip White, chair of GPC Wales
Andrew Buist, chair of GPC Scotland

Associated committees

• GPC England
• GPC Northern Ireland
• GPC Scotland
• GPC Wales
• GP trainees committee
• Sessional GPs committee
• Local medical 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.

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].

Elections

Nominations to the GPC UK elections are now closed for all regional seats except for Durham and Cleveland.

All GPs members in the following regions in England, Scotland and Wales may vote in this election: 

• Norfolk, Suffolk, Great Yarmouth and Waveney
• Enfield and Haringey, Camden and Islington, Barnet, Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster
• Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth, Kingston and Richmond
• Salford and Trafford, Manchester, Stockport
• Forth Valley, Fife, Lothian, Tayside
• East Sussex. West Sussex
• Derbys, Notts
• Gwent, Bro Taf, Morgannwg
• Herefordshire, Worcs, Warks. Coventry
• Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, Sheffield*.

The ballot opened at 12 noon on Friday 19 February 2021 and will close at 12 noon on Friday 19 March 2021.

**This seat is a by-election for a two-session term. Voting for this seat will close at 12 noon on Friday 12 March 2021.

Take part in the ballot

To vote, you will need a BMA web account. Read our guide on how to vote or contact us for further assistance.

Results will be announced on the elections portal from Friday 19 March 2021.

Durham and Cleveland

Nominations for Durham and Cleveland reopened at 12 noon on Friday 19 February and will close at 12 noon on Friday 19 March.

Submit your nomination

Get in touch

If you are interested in finding out more about the work of GPC, email [email protected].