GPs in England could threaten to resign en masse if the government does not agree a “rescue package” for their profession.

The proposal is to be discussed at a special conference of local medical committees later this month.

The proposal comes from the Buckinghamshire local medical committee – but is backed by other areas, such as Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Birmingham.

It would involve GPs signing undated letters of resignation and handing them to BMA negotiators.

GPs will spend a day discussing a range of proposals to deal with the crisis in their profession.

It is likely to agree a call for safe working hours for GPs.

The proposal from Wiltshire local medical committee calls for appointments to be allowed a minimum length of 15 minutes and for “unsafe” 12 hour days to be outlawed.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said: “The calling of this special conference is a reflection of the untenable situation where relentless workload pressures, soaring demand and funding cuts has meant that GPs are prevented from providing this high standard of care.”

* Four GPs are quitting their Essex practice after being notified of a £400,000 cut in their funding.

The four partners at the Sutherland Lodge Practice, Chelmsford, have told patients they will leave in June after seeing their doctor-patient ratio halved.

Their departure will mean that NHS England has to find GPs to run the practice.

The decision follows a review of personal medical services funding for GPs.

In a letter to patients, the partners, Dr Ged Cunniffe, Dr Rob Climie, Dr Joanna Birn-Jeffery and Dr Hilary Ramsay, said the funding would be “taken away over two years and given to Mid Essex Clinical Commissioning Group to reinvest in mid Essex primary care.

“This loss would mean a severe cut in the services we have worked so hard
over the years to develop.

“We feel very strongly that after the inevitable rise in the doctor to patient ratio, which will move from 1:1890 to 1:4000 we will not be able to continue to provide the current level of services nor be comfortable in providing the significantly reduced level of service that the new contract would require.

A statement from NHS England said: “NHS England carried out the review to make sure GP funding was equitable across all GP practices, and get the best results from investing in quality services for patients.

“The review’s outcome was a reduction in funding for all of the six mid Essex practices that had personal medical services contracts, with the money to be reinvested in making all mid Essex GP care sustainable.

“It is sad and ironic that we recently received an outstanding rating by the Government’s quality assessor – the CQC – and we were well regarded by NHS England.”

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