GPs in Northern Ireland will vote next week over funding levels that are said to be pushing many surgeries towards closure.
After a breakdown in negotiations between the Department of Health and the BMA’s Northern Ireland GP committee, members are being asked to decide if they accept or reject the 2025/26 GP contract as it stands.
The Department of Health has called the move “a matter of regret,” and said the health minister Mike Nesbitt had hoped to discuss the “public disquiet” about access to GP appointments.
GP services currently receive around 5.4% of Northern Ireland’s £8.4bn health budget, but the BMA says at least another 1% (around £80m) is needed to meet growing demand.
Other concerns include the increased costs of National Insurance payments and “a full indemnity solution for all GPs”.
Unlike other UK regions, there is no state-backed indemnity scheme for GPs in Northern Ireland which protects against risks like malpractice claims and can cost £10,000 a year.
The BMA also said there is “relentless criticism” that patients are unable to see their GPs or get an appointment, but that department figures did not support this – with 200,000 patients (10% of the population) seen every year.
This compares to 750,000 patients visiting A&E every year, which shows “the huge volume of work GPs are undertaking for a fraction of the health budget.”
Dr Frances O’Hagan.
Dr Frances O’Hagan, BMA NI GP committee chair, commented: “Our asks are simple and will help stabilise general practice. Without more funding we will see more contract hand backs as some practices will no longer be financially viable.”
She also said the department’s proposals on increasing patient access to GPs were presented too late, were not costed and would even pose “significant patient safety issues” in some cases.
“We were clear in discussions that we are happy to work with the department on access proposals throughout the next year, but that was not acceptable to them.”
She said the Department of Health had been asked for a final offer to put to GPs, but that it had failed to respond.
Describing a profession “at breaking point,” she added: “There is a real risk that more practices will decide they have had enough and will close their doors for good.”
In a statement issued to Pulse magazine last week, a department spokesperson said it was regrettable that an agreement could not be reached in time for 2025/26.
“The minister had been keen to address public disquiet regarding the difficulty in accessing their GP – this has been a key element of the Department’s discussions with GPs in relation to the negotiations on the contract.”
Stormont Health Minister Mike Nesbitt. (Brian Lawless/PA)
The Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has since written to the NI GPC to discuss the 2025/26 contract.
“It is a matter of regret that the NIGPC has decided to announce their ballot of members in advance of that,” the spokesperson said.
“Ensuring that patients can continue to access high quality, sustainable GP services remains a key priority for the Department of Health.
“The minister continues to view General Practice as a key enabler in ‘shifting left’ by placing more emphasis on prevention and early intervention, rather than acute care in hospital.”
The BMA’s referendum will be open from May 1 to May 11.
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