GP Strike in England May Be Averted
A potential strike by general practitioners (GPs) in England next week could be called off after a new deal was offered by the British Medical Association (BMA) ministers. The doctors’ union has agreed to present the offer to its members, and if they support it, the five-day strike, which begins on December 17, could be averted.
Details of the Offer
The offer includes a rapid expansion of specialist training positions, as well as the assumption of deductibles such as examination fees. However, it does not include promises of additional payments. The Health Minister insisted that he would not negotiate this point, as resident doctors have seen pay rises of almost 30% in the last three years.
Specialist Training Positions
The agreement also includes the introduction of emergency legislation to allow the NHS to give priority to doctors who have studied and worked in the UK for specialist training posts taken up by GPs in their third year of training. This year, there was intense competition for these positions, with 30,000 applicants applying for 10,000 positions. Some of these applicants were overseas doctors who, under current regulations, must be assessed on the same basis as UK doctors.
Increase in Specialist Positions
The number of specialist positions will also be increased by 4,000, with the first 1,000 available from next year. This increase is expected to help alleviate the pressure on the NHS and provide more opportunities for doctors to specialize.
Next Steps
The BMA will now conduct an online survey of its members to determine whether the offer is enough to call off the strike. The survey will close on December 15, and if members indicate that it is enough, a formal referendum will follow. This will give members time to consider the details of the offer and decide whether to accept it and end the current dispute. If the survey shows that it is not enough, the strikes will continue as planned.
Reaction from the BMA
The chairman of the BMA committee for practicing physicians said that the offer is the result of thousands of GPs showing they are prepared to stand up for their profession and its future. He acknowledged that the strikes were necessary to force the government to recognize the scale of the problems and respond with measures on training numbers and prioritization. However, he noted that the offer does not help restore doctors’ salaries, which remains within the government’s power.
