Streeting accuses BMA of ‘fostering dangerous extremism’ in GP online access row
The health secretary has demanded that the BMA ‘take responsibility’ for ‘fostering an environment’ of ‘dangerous extremism’, after one LMC was criticised for advice to practices on recent online access changes.
Last week North East and North Cumbria LMC was threatened by its local ICB with ‘breach of GMC guidance’ messaging, over advice it sent to GP practices on the new requirements.
The ICB said that the advice, which the LMC told Pulse was ‘not approved in the format sent out’, implied that patients should deliberately use emergency departments for urgent care to ‘overwhelm departments to make a point’; and was ‘professionally inappropriate’ and ‘frankly dangerous to patients’.
Now Wes Streeting has said he is ‘shocked and appalled’ by the advice but that this ‘objectionable incident’ does not ‘spring out of nowhere’.
In a letter to the BMA’s GP committee chair Dr Katie Bramall, he said: ‘The GPC leadership must take responsibility for fostering an environment in which members and LMCs feel emboldened to make rash and unacceptable statements and interventions with complete disregard to the consequences for patients and the NHS as a whole.
‘It is vital that both you and your members are reminded of their responsibilities and obligations to act in the best interests of patients at all times.
‘General Medical Council guidance sets out that medical professionals must never abuse patients’ trust in them or the public’s trust in the profession.’
The letter, seen by Pulse, said that the LMC’s advice showed ‘an outrageous disregard for patients’ and was ‘a clear breach’ of GMC guidance.
Mr Streeting added: ‘Patients should never be used as political props. It is completely unjustifiable and unacceptable to encourage irresponsible action that risks people’s safe and timely access to care. Putting patients’ safety at risk to prove a point is dangerous extremism that has no place in our NHS.
‘I’m asking you to set an example as a leader of GPs, unequivocally condemn this letter, and remind your members of their professional duty to protect their patients.’
The advice was reported by multiple media outlets as ‘BMA communication’, with the document signed by GP committee member Dr Becky Haines and Dr Paul Evans, who is the LMC’s chair and deputy chair of the England conference of LMCs.
However, the BMA said in a statement that it had ‘no role in its drafting or dissemination’, and its content does not represent the position of the BMA or GPC England.
Mr Streeting said that the BMA’s statement did ‘not go nearly far enough’, and added: ‘You have not recognised that the letter’s co-authors are BMA leaders, including a member of the GP committee.’
Mr Streeting also condemned the North East and North Cumbria LMC’s suggestion that GPs should avoid diverting patients to Pharmacy First.
And he said he was aware of ‘more letters’ from LMCs encouraging more GP practices to ‘resist changes’.
His letter, sent on Saturday, added: ‘To deliberately deprive patients of a better service is as unnecessary as it is perverse. To be clear – all GP practices are expected to comply fully and many are already doing so very successfully. The Government has taken various steps to help.’
Pulse has contacted the BMA for comment but they said they stood by their original statement.
Dr Evans previously told Pulse that the advice was sent out as ‘an administrative error by back-office staff’ and that neither him nor Dr Haines ‘approved’ the contents and are ‘looking into how it was sent without their knowledge or consent’.
The advice has since been taken down from the LMC website. The LMC said that it refuted the ICB’s ‘baseless allegations regarding professionalism and intent to cause patient harm’.
Since 1 October, GPs have been contractually required to keep online systems open for patient requests between 8am and 6.30pm for routine enquiries regardless of capacity, and ICBs have been told by NHS England that they should ensure the changes are implemented.
The BMA’s GP committee England formally entered a dispute with the Government over the issue on the same day, arguing it signed up to the policy only on the condition that ‘appropriate safeguards’ would be put in place, so that urgent requests cannot be sent online and potentially missed.
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READERS' COMMENTS [6]
Please note, only GPs are permitted to add comments to articles
🤔Think the only danger to patient safety is you health secretary and perhaps you need to take a little bit of responsibility yourself.
They’ll be proscribing the BMA next
inconvenience for GPs, benefit for patients, HIDE behind wall of mantra “patient safety” 🙂
You cannot have unlimited demand, supplied by a limited number of GPs. No wonder they are burning out and emigrating.
Streeting, NHSE and ICBs imo, are part of the same single act circus-the clown show.
It has bypassed their attention in their relaxing remote meetings , that GP practices continue to succeed despite being led imo by inept leaders to include Streeting and NHSE and certain ICBs who continue to fail, where those who lack ability to manage often take up permanent residence.
Any unfavorable environment ,dangers resulting from but not limited to ill considered uncontrolled online access can usually be traced back to poor leadership, not of the BMA but firmly Streeting and NHSE himself in my view.
This is where the ‘responsibility’ of a continually collapsing NHS and Primary care , should squarely lie.
Governments such as Streeting’s and others, NHS England and ICBs (past CCGs ) have a world beating track record of abject healthcare management failure and in my opinion only such dismal management could hope to worsen this NHS collapse. This we will now see, in my view, with the questionable ‘Fuller Fantasy’, neighbourhood groups etc. etc. after the yet to be forgotten , most recent debacle i.e. billions wasted by PCNs not to mention the chaos caused for all around the PA issues amongst others.
I get paid for the actual work I do abroad. My income has doubled and workload halved compared to UK. I have a life now. It still makes me angry enough to comment when I see UK Government position.