Swathes of GPs at risk of redundancy as GP at Hand owner announces consultation

Exclusive The new owner of GP at Hand, eMed, has announced a large-scale redundancy consultation, said to be affecting ‘mainly GPs’.

Pulse understands as many as 150 clinicians could be affected. eMed has confirmed that it has launched a redundancy consultation affecting clinicians, but refused to confirm or deny the number.

It also stressed not only GPs were affected, and said it was ‘fully’ complying with legislative requirements surrounding redundancy processes.

A spokesperson told Pulse: ‘eMed has reviewed its UK business operations and as a result will commence a process of collective redundancy consultation because we are proposing to right-size our private clinician workforce. This affects a range of private clinicians and not just GPs.’

They stressed that ‘eMed will fully comply with the legislative requirements throughout this process’ and revealed that it is ‘expected to conclude in August’.

‘This process will not affect the service we provide to our NHS patients through GP at Hand or any of our private services,’ they added.

One affected GP, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘Last week me and many of my GP colleagues were told we were going to be made redundant or at risk of redundancy by eMed. They are removing over 150 clinicians – mainly GPs – and keeping their ANP workforce.

‘This is for NHS and private. No one is able to do anything and everyone feels a bit helpless.’

When asked by Pulse, eMed did not respond to accusations that it was reducing GP workforce in favour of non-GP staff.

In January, a practice in Surrey said it is making three GPs redundant due to ‘new ways of working’, including the use of ARRS staff, and virtual rather than physical consultations.

And BMA England’s GP Committee chair Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer recently warned general practice has suddenly gone from a recruitment to an employment crisis.

The GP at risk of redundancy said: ‘We are all so gutted as GP work is hard to find right now and everyone is reducing remote work, there is hardly any locum work and salaried roles are increasingly harder.

‘Also it impacts many GPs who having caring responsibilities and need more flexibility – feels like the GPs on low hours are particularly being targeted.’

GP at Hand remains the largest NHS GP practice, having become the first practice in England to register more than 100,000 patients on a single list in 2022.

The online NHS GP provider, which serves around 100,000 patients in London, was set up in 2017 by digital-first healthcare company Babylon, via a partnership with a Hammersmith GP practice.

However, its Birmingham operation was forced to close as part of a strategy of ‘winding down’ unprofitable NHS contracts.

It changed its name to eMed GP at Hand in October last year, following the sale of Babylon’s UK business to the US company.

In January, Pulse exclusively revealed that, following eMed’s takeover, GP at Hand was planning to take on new patients across London again having previously closed its list.