- We are asking the public to come forward as usual for care during this period of collective action.
- If you have an appointment with your GP practice, you should attend as usual, unless you are told otherwise.
- Practices will still be open and will see patients and you can book appointments through your GP practice as usual.
- During collective action practices are still required to fulfil their contracts. This essentially means:
- Practices are required to be open between 0800 and 1830 Monday to Friday.
- Practices should provide reasonable care to patients. This includes:
- Making appointments available
- Providing advice or care to patients by another means
- Giving advice on alternative services
- Providing access to prescriptions, long terms condition management, vaccinations, diagnoses and referral (including where clinically urgent)
- Practices also need to take into account:
- The needs of a patient to avoid risks to patient safety
- The benefits to patients of providing continuity of care.
- Some GPs may operate differently, your GP practice will be able to explain the impact on you and what you need to do.
From Thursday 1 August, some GP services across England have begun collective action. Collective action means that those GPs taking action may stop or reduce certain work but staff will still be working and practices will still be open to see patients.
Collective action is not the same as industrial action and does not require a formal notification period, nor is it confined to specific dates.
The below provides some answers to questions you may have about what this means for you.
GP collective action
Region's NHS urges public to come forward for care as usual during GP collective action.
Frequently asked questions
- Patients may be directed to other local services.
- For non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries people can also contact 111 online or by phone and or go their local pharmacist for help. Please keep A&E and 999 for life threatening situations only.
- If you think you might need to go to a hospital or an urgent treatment centre but you're not sure - NHS111 is available 24 hours a day,7 days a week online or by phone.
- It's really important that in emergency and life-threatening cases people continue to come forward - A&E and 999 services will be running as normal. If someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk, please call 999.
- The public can also help by ordering repeat prescriptions in plenty of time – please don’t wait until it's too late. Remember it can take up to 72 hours to order a prescription and have it dispensed so please check with your pharmacy.
- The nature of the collective action means that the impacts will vary at different GP practices and from area to area.
- This action may cause disruption to other NHS services.
- We will be closely monitoring any action taken and will work with GPs and other organisations to make sure that any impact in minimised.
- GPs are independent contractors who are contracted to provide NHS services. During collective action, GPs will still be working and will still be providing the NHS services that they are contracted to provide.
- From Thursday 1 August, GP services across England will begin collective action for an indefinite period of time.
- As collective action does not involve a breach of contract and practices will remain open, it could potentially continue for an unspecified but potentially significant period of time.
- It is proposed that collective action would continue until GP Committee England (GPCE) achieve a position of a ‘safe and sustainable GP contract’.