LMC Update – 24 February 2026
National Updates from BMA
General Practice: Critically Enda
ngered, Facing Extinction
The Government has indicated they will share their final positions on the 2026/27 GP contract changes in England. It is vital they recognise the critical situation we face with increasing workloads, stretched finances and an exhausted workforce. In the meantime the BMA has just published a 30-minute podcast where the GPC England Chair, Dr Katie Bramall, and Dr David Wrigley, talk about where we are at the moment in general practice and the real challenges we’re facing as a profession.
BMA has also created two bite‑sized briefings on what we need to see from NHS England to fill the vacuum around ‘Neighbourhoods’ as well as expanding on the themes we covered with our profession being critically endangered, and facing extinction:
- Facing extinction – ‘Neighbourhood health – lead or be led’
- Facing extinction – ‘Why this campaign, and Why Now?’
GPC England will meet on Thursday Feb 26th to scrutinise the contract, then debate and vote on the offer from Government. BMA is undertaking some further webinars to discuss the new contract and what the next steps are for the profession. You can use the links below for these.
- Thursday 5 March, 12-1:30pm – register here
- Tuesday 10 March, 7-8:30pm – register here
- Wednesday 18 March, 12-1:30pm – register here
The BMA knows how vital these discussions are to the whole profession and wants your feedback and to bring you along, so please feed in any queries you have to info.gpc@bma.org.uk
Parliamentary Health and Social Care Select Committee submission
The BMA has submitted written evidence to the ‘Health and Social Care Select Committee inquiry into delivering the neighbourhood health service: estates inquiry’. The response outlines our recommendations and concerns including views on the NHS ten-year health plan, ensuring that GP premises are supported to meet future patient need. We also explain our concerns regarding the use of private finance initiatives within the NHS and the importance of appropriately resourcing general practice. BMA will share a copy of the submission once it has been published by the committee.
Refresh of the ‘Pressures in General Practice’ webpage
The BMA has produced a new page analysing the current state of general practice in England. Drawing on the latest workforce and appointment statistics, it highlights how rising patient demand, shrinking GP workforce and workload pressures are affecting GP services; from longer waits to increased use of urgent care. It also explains how insufficient core GP contract funding and limited infrastructure are hindering recruitment, creating the paradox of GP underemployment despite high demand.
Update on your pension and missing records
In April 2025, the BMA submitted a freedom of information request to the NHS Business Service Authority (NHS BSA) asking how many GPs in England had missing years of pensions data in their records – shockingly, it revealed that it was 56%. The BMA re-submitted the same request in January, with the hope that the meetings with NHS BSA, PCSE & the DHSC would improve the situation. BMA is disappointed that 51 % of the current cohort in the scheme still don’t have an up-to-date record.
Not having an up-to-date pension record makes it impossible to plan for your retirement and assess your immediate pension tax position. The BMA is there to help members engage with relevant parties effectively, and you can use the BMA’s step by step campaign to get your pension record up to date. The guide includes templates to use at each stage and guidance on when you can escalate your query to appropriate bodies to seek financial compensation.
Pharmacy services microsite for patients
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) has developed a small ‘micro’ website to provide information to patients on three CPCF (Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework) services and directing them to the NHS website search functionality should they wish to identify a pharmacy to access a service. This is intended to address concerns that some websites providing similar information for patients only direct them to a limited list of pharmacies providing the services. The microsite also contains information for patients on their right to choose which pharmacy they use for the provision of services.
Online 113 form
The DWP has contacted GPCE to note that they are aware of a significant fraud risk associated with the online ESA113 form (for healthcare professionals to fill in if DWP asks for information in connection with Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit). They have checked and the total number of downloads in the 12 months to 30 September 2025 was only 1,261 i.e. about 100 a month and therefore DWP will ask for it to be removed from GOV.UK and also remove the reference to it in the introductory notes of the paper version of the 113.
Improving the nation’s diet: the impact of ultra-processed food
A new BMA report Improving the nation’s diet: the impact of ultra-processed food has been published, which examines the consequences of harmful dietary patterns, including rising consumption of UPFs (ultra processed foods) and calls for measures to protect the health of the population. Read more here.
Employment Rights Act 2025
The latest reforms under the Employment Rights Act 2025 took effect on 18 February, rolling back much of the restrictive Trade Union Act 2016. Changes include extending strike mandates to 12 months, reducing strike notice periods to 10 days, simplifying ballot rules, strengthening dismissal protections, and scrapping picket supervisor requirements. Further information on the Government’s timetable for reform is here. Critically, scrapping the arbitrary 50% turnout threshold and introducing e-balloting have been delayed until at least August 2026. The BMA will continue to hold Government to account for the timely delivery of these commitments.
Evaluation of the NHSE Record a Vaccination Service (RAVS) team support for GP nurse vaccinators
NHSE’s Record a Vaccination Service (RAVS) team intends to approach a number of provider groups, including GP nurse vaccinators, over the coming weeks to evaluate how effectively RAVS supports them in delivering infant vaccinations with a focus on:
- Giving vaccinations
- Recording vaccinations
- Sharing vaccination records across organisations
They anticipate that the opportunity will be communicated via the primary care newsletter and/or the practice manager mailing list.
This is voluntary user research only – there will be no contractual, performance or assurance implications. Findings will be anonymised and used solely to inform improvements to the digital service.
Chaperone guidance
Concerns have been raised about NHSE’s recent guidance on Improving chaperoning practice in the NHS, based on GMC guidance on Intimate examinations and chaperones. BMA has previously identified this as a significant challenge for doctors. This is covered in the BMA’s Core Ethics Guidance in Sect. 2.5.