GP representation is set for a major shake-up reflecting the three kinds of doctor working in the profession, a conference has heard.

The British Medical Association’s GP committee may cease to be the only negotiating body representing GPs because of its growing conflicts of interest in representing both employers and employees, the conference of local medical committees heard.

The conference heard about a move to create a new independent negotiating body for sessional GPs. Meanwhile the diminishing number of GP partners may also get their own specific committee. The government is considering trying to phase out GP partnerships – moving GPs to be mostly employed by the NHS. But the conference voted to support general practice continuing to be provided by independent contractors. It called on the BMA’s GP committee to take “all necessary action” to defend and promote independent contractor status.

The BMA is also to consider setting up a separate GP contract holders sub-committee – although this was not formally ratified by the conference. It is also considering setting up a National Association of Local Medical Committees, providing a new channel for local practice associations to lobby government. It is also considering giving sessional GPs their own committee, the conference heard.

More than 50% of GPs now work as sessional GPs and women GPs in this field earn 22.3% less than men, campaigners say. A new survey has found that fewer than a quarter of trainees aspire to be partners.

Dr Ben Molyneux, chair of the BMA’s sessional GPs committee, told the conference, that without separate representation session GPs and local medical committees would “continue to drift apart.”

He said: “After a decade of justifying our existence, my committee have put GPC on notice. My committee wants to agree a complete reform of how we collectively represent GPs with fair resourcing and parity of esteem. We have applied to become a branch of practice of the BMA to become a negotiating body in our own right. This will take time to process and in the interim, I sincerely hope that we are able to negotiate reforms needed which I’ve been unable to agree without taking this step.”

He added: “We can work together to form a reinvigorated profession that is partnership and sessional workers equal in a stake with parity of attention and resourcing and a single, cohesive GP strategy.”