GP Industrial Action

Why have GPs voted for industrial action?  

Funding for GP services has fallen below inflation for several years and the proportion of NHS funding spent on General Practice has also fallen.

The Government gives this practice just £107.57 a year for each patient, whatever their health needs. That’s less than the cost of a TV licence. We believe general practice deserves a bigger slice of NHS funding so we can train and hire more GPs, deliver the services you require and make it easier to get appointments to see your GP and practice team. This means we’re only given 30p a day for every patient registered with us – less than the cost of an apple.

GP funding is not only about GP pay – this is the money used to pay for all services that a GP surgery provides – it pays for all the doctors, nurses, receptionists, administrators as well as the costs of running a building, heat, light and everything else.  It’s the future of your services that we are fighting for.  Many GPs across the country have had to close in recent years because they can’t run a service with the current funding, this includes several in Hackney.

Although we at Nightingale have continued to be able to run a good level of service so far, we are all at risk if funding does not improve and we have all had to take some difficult decisions  - this directly affects how many doctors, nurses, receptionists and other staff we can afford to employ to provide your services.

Despite the big need for more GP appointments there are now many unemployed GPs because surgeries cannot afford to take them on.  This is a terrible waste of the 10years it takes to train a GP and is letting patients down.

Please support us in fighting for the future of your GP health service.