General practices in Northern Ireland are on their knees, says DAUK’s GP committee after the Department of Health confirmed it would impose the contract for 2025/26.
The decision comes after the BMA published the results of a referendum, with 99.6 per cent of GPs voting against the contract.
The BMA had called for an improved offer, including money to cover the increase in National Insurance contributions and rising costs.
But health minister Mike Nesbitt, speaking in the Northern Ireland Assembly, said negotiations had reached ‘an endpoint’.
On their knees
Dr Steve Taylor, DAUK’s GP spokesperson, responding on social media platform X, said that GPs in Northern Ireland see more than 10 per cent of the population each week and were asking for a one per cent uplift – or 11p per patient per day.
He said: “GPs in Northern Ireland are on their knees.
“They are trying really hard to improve services for patients.
“Yet the government declined a request for 11p per day per patient to improve services
“Who’s to blame for poor services? Simply, it’s not GPs is it?
Primary care
“Primary care in Northern Ireland is under extreme pressure.
“Long-term trends such as an ageing population and growing waiting lists in secondary care.
“These challenges have pushed many practices into crisis. In the past 4 years, 98 practices have sought support.
“In excess of 200,000 appointments per week take place in Northern Ireland GP practices – more than 10 per cent of the population.
“GPs get £168 per patient per year for everything – an average of five appointments, prescriptions, letters, referrals, monitoring, staff costs, buildings, electricity.
“The spend on healthcare in Northern Ireland is £4,300 per person per year and GPs get just four per cent yet see 10 per cent of the population weekly.
“The ask was £40 per person – less than one per cent.”
The BMA
Dr Frances O’Hagan, chair of NIGPC (BMA’s NI GP committee), said: “This is the first time a sitting health minister in Northern Ireland has chosen to impose the GMS contract on GPs, so to say we are shocked and angry at this decision would be an understatement.
“We have been warning for well over a decade now that general practice cannot continue in the way it has been – trying to meet increasing demand with fewer GPs and insufficient resource, leading to collapse by contract hand backs and closure.
“Rather than trying to address this imbalance, the Minister seems content with the status quo to continue. All GPs want to do is deliver a service to their patients that meets their needs. The funding we require would not only do that, but it would also provide the level of access they deserve, and we want to give. The contract being imposed by the minister will not allow us to do that.
Referendum result
“The results of our referendum were extremely clear: 99.6% of GPs do not think the contract offer that is now being imposed is enough to stabilise or save general practice in Northern Ireland.
“We will now consult with our members to decide the next steps.”
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