BMA approached by Government as contract negotiation process starts this week

The BMA has welcomed an ‘approach from the Government’s side’ following a breakdown in their relationship, as overhauled GP contract negotiations are set to start this week.

The union’s GP committee said that there is no need for ‘any further point scoring’ and that their ‘door remains open’ as the GPC ‘continue to stand ready to put things right’.

As exclusively revealed by Pulse last week, instead of GP contract negotiations with the BMA’s GP committee, the Government will ‘consult’ it alongside a wider group of stakeholders, including the RCGP and patient groups.

And health secretary Wes Streeting said that his attempts at a ‘constructive relationship’ with the GPC have failed due to a lack of ‘mutual respect and professionalism’ – while the BMA responded that its professionals have maintained honesty throughout the process.

DHSC and NHS England had previously cancelled all meetings with the GPC, amid the dispute around 1 October contract changes, and the breakdown in their relationship.

Now, in a message to GPs, GPC deputy chair Dr David Wrigley said that the BMA was approached by the Government on Friday.

Dr Wrigley said: ‘We don’t need any further point scoring. We need to work constructively to promote wellbeing in practices and safety for patients.

‘We have repeatedly sought to work with government all year to make their aspirations a safe success but, in recent weeks, attempts have been thwarted by media briefings and nameless sources engaging in attacks on the integrity of the profession.

‘Our door remains open, and we continue to stand ready to put things right, as is our duty to the staff and patients we represent, to ensure care is safe for patients and practice staff alike, and to now move forward constructively. 

‘We have had an approach today from the Government’s side which is welcomed, and we hope to keep colleagues informed with next steps.’

It comes after GPC England demanded an urgent discussion with the Government to ‘reset’ their relationship.

At a meeting last week, the committee voted in favour of calling on the Government to meet with it ‘urgently’ to discuss ‘terms of a reset in the relationship’, so that ‘further escalation can be avoided’.

Dr Wrigley had previously accused the Government of trying to ‘sideline’ the BMA as a trade union, against traditional Labour Party values, and also said that the Government’s current stance towards general practice could force the profession to follow the dentistry model.

His message to GPs added: ‘GPC England may also decide to consult more widely, and we are confident there will be more consensus across various stakeholders than the Government perhaps realises, and this provides an excellent opportunity for mutual collaboration.

‘If it comes to it, we can see how and why the Government might want to avoid April 2026 changes being termed a contractual imposition, and there is a risk that it won’t even try to make it palatable, or potentially use the opportunity to deliver what will be a very difficult contract for the profession. We stand ready to deal with all eventualities.’

Meanwhile, primary care minister Stephen Kinnock said that the process of negotiating next year’s contract will begin this week.

In a post on X on Friday, he said: ‘Next week we will begin the process of negotiating the GP contract for 2026/27.

‘I am very pleased that, this year, for the first time since the creation of the NHS, we will be engaging with a broad range of representative organisations to seek their input, including patients.’

The change will see wider group of stakeholders consulted on changes, including GPCE, the RCGP, the National Association of Primary Care (NAPC), Healthwatch England, the healthcare charity coalition National Voices and the NHS Confederation. 

However, the incoming RCGP chair said ‘it is not the role’ of the college to negotiate the terms and conditions of the GP contract in England.

Pulse editor Sofia Lind argued that the Government’s decision means GPs are being cut out from their own future.

But in a statement today, DHSC told Pulse that that the BMA ‘will be consulted on all aspects of the GP contract’, and that the ‘only change’ is wider engagement on policy.

A DHSC spokesperson said: ‘These claims are incorrect. The 10 Year Health Plan is explicit that the partnership model will continue. We have also been clear that the BMA will be consulted on all aspects of the GP contract, with a keen focus on terms and conditions and remuneration. The only change is that we will engage on policy with wider primary care stakeholders, including patients.

‘We continue to value and consider GPCE’s input in this process but firmly believe that listening to input from a wider range of stakeholders will only help to strengthen policy making, ensuring that general practice works for staff and patients.

‘This Government has demonstrated clear support for GPs, placing them at the heart of the 10 Year Health Plan while also delivering the biggest cash uplift in over a decade with an additional £1.1 billion in funding, recruiting 2,500 GPs, cutting red tape so they can spend more time treating patients, reforming the way GP funding is distributed, and ending the 8am scramble. Thanks to the decisions we have taken, patient satisfaction with GPs is on the rise after a decade of neglect.’

Last week Pulse revealed that the new model for determining the terms of the GP contract, which will see a group of stakeholders consulted, could become permanent.

And we also summed up one of the most tumultuous weeks in the history of the GPC and its relations with ministers.