Jessica O'ConnorGPs in England have overwhelmingly rejected the Government’s proposed contract changes for 2026/27, according to a referendum conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA).
Almost 17,000 GPs and GP registrars took part in the vote, with 98.9% opposing the plans and calling for a return to negotiations with the BMA’s GP Committee for England to agree a new contract.
The proposed changes include requirements for unlimited same-day urgent appointments, expanded online consultation access and new rules affecting hospital acceptance of GP referrals.
The BMA said these measures would significantly increase workload pressures on already stretched practices.
Dr Katie Bramall, chair of the BMA’s GP Committee for England, said: “This is an unequivocal rejection from GPs across England. The Government cannot ignore the strength of feeling from a profession that is already at breaking point.
“These proposals heap unsafe, unfunded additional workload on to practices, forcing GPs to deliver more with less, putting patient care at risk.
“Patient groups and GPs alike are united in their concerns around Hospitals rejecting GP referrals to access appropriate specialist care. When the Government promised a ‘shift from hospital to the community’ we did not think this would be their own waiting lists.”
Bramall added: “Mandating unlimited access without the staff, time, or infrastructure needed to deliver it is not a plan, but a fast-track to collapse GP services, pushing GPs to either walk away due to the moral injury it inflicts, or force them to close their doors due to the pressures placed on them.
“In some settings it may even tip family doctors to ‘do a dentist’ and see if they can offer a better, safer service privately.
“GPs simply want to provide the safe care their patients need, but they know they are being set up to fail with this imposed contract, the referendum result speaks for itself.”
The BMA said the GP Committee for England would meet following the referendum to determine its next steps.
