Government ‘ignored’ BMA request to be involved in GP funding review, says GPC chair

The Government has ‘ignored’ the BMA’s request to be involved in the Carr-Hill formula reform, the leader of England GPs has said.

Opening the England LMCs conference in Manchester this morning, the union’s GP committee chair Dr Katie Bramall said that she did not think the review would bring ‘transformational investment’.

She also said that the Government has been feeding the media ‘tasty’ anti-GP headlines during their current dispute, to ‘alienate’ the one part of the NHS which already fulfils ‘every single ambition of this crushingly disappointing government’.

Last month the Government announced a six-month review of the Carr-Hill funding formula starting immediately. Pulse later revealed that the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) was tasked to produce an ‘overall recommendation’ on replacing the formula, which could include a departure from the existing approach.

Dr Bramall said: ‘The Department of Health announced the Carr-Hill funding formula reform to report within six months – working with GPC England. Oh, no, hang on, no, not working with GPC England – working with the NIHR and the Nuffield trust. Oh, and it will be cost neutral, levelling down.

‘Our calls to be involved, our position that actually this should form part of our GMS renewal discussions go ignored. We will, of course, be “a valued stakeholder”.

‘Standing here today, I fear it’s only going to get worse. It’s not that they don’t want a new contract. Oh, they want one, but they’re not going to fund it, and we’re not going to like what’s in it, just like the Carr-Hill review. I see a fixed funding envelope on the horizon. I do not see transformational investment.

‘There was one mad rumour floating around Labour Party Conference that might just be true – that they are going to gather together the shed load of money spent on locally commissioned services, bundle it up nationwide and that can help subsidise them.

‘Seriously, that’s what they’re talking about. Conference, we have been lied to. Strong words, but they’re honest words.’

She told the conference that she could ‘not begin to express’ her own ‘personal frustration and professional disappointment’ with the Government.  

Dr Bramall added: ‘The disingenuousness, the duplicity, the gaslighting, the briefing, the frankly despicable attempts to flood media with irresponsible and intransigent anti GP rhetoric juxtaposed against the wholly disproportionate focus on contractual minutiae of what services we deliver and when, whilst trusts breach their contracts with careless abandon every day.’

And she told LMCs that they have the ‘power to change everything’ by taking a unifying approach.

She added: ‘None of us can achieve anything on our own, but together, the power to change everything is in our gift.

‘We have unified before – we can unify again. If you want to fight, we will fight. If you want to talk, we will talk. We are in your hands. So conference, get ready, get focused, get disciplined. You have an amazing agenda today, and we have work to do.’

Pulse has contacted the Department of Health and Social Care for comment.

In a letter to Dr Bramall yesterday, primary care minister Stephen Kinnock said that her previous accusations of ‘duplicity’ were ‘disappointing’ and ‘counter-productive’.

He said: ‘We hope that we can move forward constructively with the GPCE, ending this dispute and building an NHS that is fit for the future.

‘I note that you have also taken to social media to accuse politicians of duplicity. I have to say that these sort of personal attacks are disappointing, and counter-productive. But in spite all this I agree that a meeting would be constructive, so we can try to find a path forward.’

Earlier this year Mr Streeting told the BMA Special Representative Meeting that he will ‘work with’ GPs to avoid ‘unintended consequences’ of the formula review.

Pulse exclusively revealed that GP leaders had already been told the review may have to be ‘cost neutral’.