New GPC England chair to keep ‘plan B’ on the table

Exclusive The next chair of the BMA’s GP committee has said she is ‘prepared to act’ to pursue a plan B for general practice ‘as necessary’.

Former GPC deputy chair and Barnsley GP partner Dr Clare Bannon has been announced as the successor of current GPC chair Dr Katie Bramall and was elected unopposed yesterday.

In her candidate statement ahead of her election, shared with GPC members and seen by Pulse, Dr Clare Bannon, who is chair of Barnsley LMC, said that she will ‘lead confident negotiations, from a position of strength’ by bringing contractors and sessional GPs together ‘behind a shared strategy’.

‘I will ensure we’re prepared to act against an imposed contract by use of collective action or Plan B, as necessary,’ she said.

Dr Bannon pledged to ‘protect the partnership model’, ensuring general practice shapes neighbourhoods ‘rather than simply responding to them’.

She also said that she will ‘secure a significant increase in core contract funding’ by ‘demonstrating the value and cost-effectiveness of continuity of care’ and by building a coalition across stakeholders and patient groups, making investment in general practice ‘the obvious choice’.

Dr Bannon said: ‘General practice needs a chair who understands both the realities of running a practice and the complexities of influencing national policy.

‘As a GP contractor what has always driven me is a determination to improve things rather than simply accept the status quo.

‘I thrive on tackling difficult challenges, whether negotiating nationally, preventing inappropriate workload transfer, or bringing organisations together to deliver practical change.

‘I enjoy debate and building consensus, but I also know when to stand firm to protect the interests of general practice.

‘My vision is simple: fund the profession. Value the workforce. Restore the future of general practice – for GPs and patients.’

She joined the GPC in 2021 representing Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield, and has since served as deputy chair and as policy lead for both clinical and prescribing, and practice business, and was part of contract negotiations in 2023/24.  

Earlier in her career, she was a member of the Barnsley CCG governing body and was also chair of the South Yorkshire primary–secondary care interface group.

She led work around pushing back responsibility for prescribing Coving therapeutics being transferred to general practice and is currently leading work exploring alternatives to GP-issued Med3s to reduce unnecessary workload.

In her statement, she added that she will use her ‘carefully built personal relationships’ with stakeholders from the Government and NHS England to ensure LMC conference motions ‘translate into tangible improvements for practices’.

‘I’ll work tirelessly to ensure partners and sessional GPs have a stronger voice in negotiations by acting as one united profession,’ she added.

Her election comes as the GPC is currently coordinating collective action against this year’s imposed contract, with the latest escalation announced earlier this week.

The GPC has also said it will ballot GPs on a ‘plan B’ for general practice, including working outside the NHS.