GPS rally against having to work Saturdays

Attempt to clear waiting backlog will see 800,000 people have the option of ‘digital monitoring’

GPS have voted in favour of industrial action over a new contract that forces practices to open on Saturdays.

Doctors at the BMA’S annual conference expressed solidarity with rail unions, urging fellow medics to “channel our inner Mick Lynch” in protest.

Members voted 57 per cent in favour of a motion to oppose “the imposition of the new contract including industrial action if necessary”.

While GPS would be unlikely to stop providing emergency and urgent care, they could refuse to carry out other routine work and may cut their hours.

Proposing the motion in Brighton, Dr Jacqueline Applebee, a GP from London,

said: “The new contracts have already effectively been imposed. But that doesn’t mean that GPS are powerless to act. I know some of you will be worried about industrial action. But how much more can we take?”

She said that the medics’ union should follow rail unions, in embracing industrial action – paying tribute to Mr Lynch, the RMT chief.

“They have quite rightly said enough is enough. No more pay erosion, no more service cuts… The RMT’S issues very much chime with those we face in the NHS – solidarity to them. So let’s channel our inner Mick Lynch,” she said.

Speaking against the move, Dr Kieran Sharrock, who negotiated the contract, said there was “not a strong appetite” for industrial action. The BMA previously said it was “bitterly disappointed” with changes to the GP contract imposed by the Government in April without reaching an agreement with the union over terms.

Under the new contract, GPS are required to provide full services from 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, from Oct 1.

Doctors also argue that the terms are too inflexible, overly-bureaucratic and take power away from GPS to decide how to allocate funding to best serve their communities.

Doctors would need to be balloted again before action could be taken.

NHS patients will be monitored in their own homes under plans for a “digital revolution” of the health service.

About 800,000 people will be offered monitors tracking conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and blood pressure in an effort to keep them healthy and out of hospital.

The government plan will see an overhaul of the NHS app so that patients can use it to book hospital appointments, check test results and register with a GP.

As it develops, patients will also get screening reminders, prompts about health checks, and tools that set out the risk of diseases.

The plan, which follows a £2billion investment in technology, also outlines an expansion in “virtual consultations” for hospital appointments as part of efforts to clear backlogs.

Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, said the moves will amount to a “radical programme of modernisation”, which he said would set the NHS up for decades.

Up to 780,00 people will be offered “digital monitoring” using medical devices that can track heart rates and other vital signs by March of next year.

Officials said the schemes were able to detect warning signs of problems earlier, leading to fewer admissions and shorter stays in hospitals.

There will also be an expansion of “virtual wards” so frail patients can be cared for at home after being discharged from hospital, as well as the use of artificial intelligence for screening of diseases such as breast cancer and lung disease, with the first results of test systems due later this year.

Officials said the plans would drive efficiency, freeing up hospital space and clinical time, helping to clear record waiting backlogs.

Nearly 6.5million people are on waiting lists, with the vast majority waiting for tests and scans rather than operations.

The new plan aims to speed up waits for checks and bring an end to duplication – patients sent for repeated tests because systems cannot share records properly. Officials insisted that those who are unable to embrace technology will not be excluded from access to services, saying they will “always be part of a multi-channel offer that includes in person, phone and online services”.

The plan said services must incorporate non-digital options where they are needed to ensure equitable access.

It follows concerns about the way remote consultations for GPS were rolled out during the pandemic.

As Britain went into lockdown, GPS were instructed to shift to offering “virtual” appointments as a default position, restricting the numbers who got face-to-face access.

Since then, health officials and ministers have insisted that anyone who wants to see a GP in person has the right to do so.

Mr Javid said: “We are embarking on a radical programme of modernisation that will make sure the NHS is set up to

‘A radical programme of modernisation will make sure the NHS is set up to meet the challenges of 2048’

meet the challenges of 2048 – not 1948, when it was first established.

“This plan builds on our data strategy to revolutionise digital health and care, which will enable patients to manage hospital appointments from the NHS App and take more control of their own care at home, picking up problems sooner and seeking help earlier.

“Ensuring more personalisation and better join up of the system will benefit patients, free up clinician time, and help us to bust the Covid backlogs.”

The plan sets targets for an extra 10,500 positions working in data and technology.

Dr Timothy Ferris, national director of transformation at NHS England and NHS Improvement, said: “By harnessing the power of digital and data we can improve both how people access services and the way we provide care.”

♦ MPS have been told that NHS 111 call handlers should be given access to patient records and A&E waiting time data. Matthew Taylor, chief executive of NHS Confederation, said his “vision of the future” was to train people to direct patients based on demand for services.