Northern Irish GP leaders will meet on Saturday to vote on the future of its plans to resign from the NHS en masse.
The motion suggests that the Northern Irish LMC conference ‘calls on GPs to move ahead with practice URs as this is the only way to save general practice in NI from the destruction of the service by our Department of Health’.
The NI GPC has voted for practices to exit the NHS once 60% of practices have handed in their resignations, in protest at Governmet underfunding.
Northern Irish LMCs will also use the annual conference discuss motions calling on the NI GPC to lobby the Health and Social Care Board, Department of Health and ministers to roll out the GP rescue plan that was agreed before the collapse of the Northern Irish Coalition Government last month.
Other motions scheduled for debate include demanding refunds for indemnity costs like those that have been agreed for England, and a call for the GP contract to be renegotiated wholesale across the UK ‘to preserve a safe and effective general practice.
To rescind the threat of mass resignations, the NI GPC has called for:
- Investment of 10% of the Northern Ireland healthcare budget on a safe, sustainable GP service for patients;
- Training and recruitment of more GPs so practices at risk of closure can stay open and meet the needs of patients
- Reducing bureaucracy and improve IT systems so more time can be spent providing care to patients.
Motions set for debate at the Northern Irish LMC Conference
- That this conference calls on GPs to move ahead with practice URs as this is the only way to save general practice in NI from the destruction of the service by our department of health.
- That this conference instructs NIGPC to continue to urgently lobby and collaborate with HSCB, DoH and elected representatives to ensure implementation and full funding for the GP rescue plan.
- That this conference demands funding of GPs indemnity costs in view of the fact that NHSE has agreed a scheme in England.
- That this conference instructs NIGPC to call on GPC UK to renegotiate the GP contract in order to preserve a safe and effective general practice service within the NHS.
Source: Agenda ahead of the Nortern Irish LMC Conference to be held on 4 March 2017
