NHS urges patients to attend GP surgeries as normal during industrial action

Image above: Grove Park Surgery, now part of Chiswick Medical Practice

Work to rule sees some GPs planning to limit patients to 25 appointments per day 

The NHS is asking the public to  come forward as usual for care during industrial action by GP services, which began last Thursday (1 August) and will continue indefinitely.

The North West London Integrated Care Board, which looks after primary care in Chiswick, said while there may be some disruption to services, practices will remain open as usual and patients can still make requests by phone, online or by walking in.

During the action, practices are still required to be open between 8.00am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday. The NHS say it is vital patients attend their appointments unless they are told otherwise, and practices should inform you of any changes to services.

An NHS spokesperson said they have worked hard to mitigate disruption where possible to ensure services continued to be provided for patients.

The action, a form of ‘work to rule’, is the first time GPs have taken industrial action for 60 years. Family doctors voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action earlier this month over funding. The government has increased their budge by only 1.9% this year. The new government has pledged to increase funding for 2024-25 to 6%.

Practices are still working out exactly how they plan to implement the action and the impact will vary at different GP practices, but it could include GPs limiting the number of patient appointments per day. One action being considered by the British Medical Association, who is leading the strike action, is to limit the amount of patients a GP can see per day to 25.

Patients should continue to use 111 for urgent medical help when their GP practice is unavailable and if it is a serious or life-threatening emergency call 999.

Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS National Director for Primary Care and Community Services, said:

“GPs and their teams are the bedrock of the NHS, and we recognise they are working really hard and dealing with record demand. On behalf of patients, the NHS has a duty to plan for collective action, and we will continue to work with government to find a resolution and end collective action.

“Our message to the public remains the same – they should continue to come forward for care during this collective action, as GP practices will remain open.”