GPs in England vote in favour of industrial action

GPs in England have voted in favour of taking limited forms of industrial action to protest against the government’s drive to force them to see patients face to face.

As many as 80 per cent of the GPs, who voted in an indicative ballot organised by the British Medical Association, backed the withholding of information about how they hold appointments, to thwart the government’s plan to ‘name and shame’ surgeries that see too few patients in person.

A slightly higher percentage (84 per cent) indicated their willingness to refuse to comply with the issuing of Covid-19 exemption certificates, which those who remain unvaccinated on medical grounds may need, for example, to work in a care home, where vaccination for staff is mandatory.

A smaller majority (58 per cent) said they would support their GP practice withdrawing from their local primary care network’s directed enhanced service, which could mean GPs scaling back visits to care homes, for example.

Only 1,798 of the 5,144 GP practices in England where a partner is a BMA member took part in the vote – a 35 per cent response rate – which may indicate a reluctance to take industrial action.