BMA planning GP collective action around patient data sharing

GPs could protest against the imposed contract for the next financial year by taking action around how general practice patient data is used by the Government, the BMA has revealed.

The union’s GP committee urged members to take part in its referendum closing tomorrow, and revealed that new collective action planned for as early as next week could include taking action around sharing patient data.

GPC chair Dr Katie Bramall told a webinar last week that the committee was looking at collective action around patient data which would put ‘a spanner in the works’ for the Government.

Pulse understands that the action would be looking at the areas where practices voluntarily share data and for what purposes.

Dr Bramall urged GPs in England to reject the contract as part of the referendum, and said that the results will be discussed by the committee on Thursday and could determine the beginning of collective action as soon as 1 April.

All GPs and GP registrars who are BMA members and who practice in England are eligible to vote, and Pulse understands that currently less than 50% of eligible GPs have voted.

The 2026/27 contract, which was unilaterally imposed by the Government, has already been rejected by the GPC, who now are calling on the Government to get back to the table to negotiate a new GMS contract directly with the BMA.

Dr Bramall said: ‘Collective action, after all, does not risk a breach, does not risk any punitive measures from a commissioner.

‘And good collective action is that sweet spot that would potentially reduce partner liabilities, that would increase the trust between GPs and their registered patients, and would strike at the heart of Government agendas.

‘We believe, to begin with, that may well be around patient data and how general practice patient data is used. The GP record data set is the richest data set in the Western world. It has been curated and created by partners over the past 30 to 40 years. It is invaluable. It is worth billions now.

‘There’s no reason why the Government couldn’t profit or monetise it in ways that we could support, with sound governance of information sharing and data responsibility, but at the present time, we’ve got lots of concerns around that.’

Dr Bramall had previously said that if the GPC get ‘a strong enough mandate’ from the referendum, the GPC will push for ‘immediate action’ from 1 April, and this would include a ‘single, unified’ protest action for all practices, rather than a menu of options as proposed in 2024.

Dr Bramall added: ‘I know it’s not as explicit as removing the right to refer or removing the ability to cap consultations, but it is strategically just as important, and it’s something that will reduce your liabilities, increase patient trust, and it will also be an immense spanner in the works for Government.

‘Now we’re listening to your feedback of how things went in 2024 and the majority of feedback is that the menu was too big. It was too complicated. You’d much rather have something simple.

‘So if we are forced into action, then it’s likely we’ll look at doing something very streamlined and very simple.’

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

Last month the Government instructed NHS England to begin extracting identifiable patient data for research from GP records, on an opt-in basis.

Pulse previously exclusively revealed the Government’s intention to change the rules to allow GP patient data access beyond their previous ‘pandemic-only’ scope.