Health minister Stephen Kinnock has accused British Medical Association (BMA) leaders of being “determined to turn their organisation into a farce” after a motion was passed for GPs to refuse to comply with new online access requirements. The motion, passed at the England LMC conference on Friday, demands the removal of rules requiring GP surgeries to keep online consultation platforms open during working hours from 8am to 6.30pm.
Kinnock said the government wants to work constructively with the BMA but claimed the motion “will put patient safety at risk at a critical time ahead of winter”. He added: “This latest escalation is founded on untruths.” The minister also rejected claims of betrayal, pointing to a £1.1bn funding boost, recruitment of 2,500 GPs, and a review of GP funding distribution.
The motion condemned the changes as “a cynical political stunt that is unfunded, unsafe and knowingly undeliverable in the context of current workforce collapse”. It called on the BMA’s GP committee to prepare options for action, including non-compliance, if the government refuses to revise the mandates. The BMA argues that safeguards are missing and no additional staff have been hired to manage online requests, risking patient safety.
Family doctors have reported patients submitting requests about life-threatening conditions, such as difficulty breathing and severe vomiting, on non-urgent forms. A poll of 431 GPs and practice managers found 67 per cent are concerned about patient safety since the mandates took effect on 1 October.
The row comes amid an ongoing pay dispute between Labour and the BMA, with the union claiming resident doctors' wages are 20 per cent lower in real terms than in 2008. Health secretary Wes Streeting has refused to budge on headline pay, describing the BMA’s demands as “preposterous”. BMA council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin said there is “a gulf” between clinicians and government, adding that collaboration must be built on trust and direct engagement.
