Collective Action
Where the BMA’s GP collective action stands, what it means for Birmingham and Solihull practices, and BLMC’s latest updates.
Current position
GPC England has secured the Government’s agreement to return to formal bilateral negotiations and has paused any further escalation of collective action. The dispute over the imposed 2026/27 contract continues: existing actions remain in place while talks take place. GPC England’s new officer team, led by Chair Dr Clare Bannon, is leading the negotiations.
Source: BLMC newsletters, 7 September and 10 October 2026.
What practices are asked to do
Each month’s action, what it means in Birmingham and Solihull, and BLMC’s guidance.
- May
Data sharing agreements Continuing
Don’t sign new voluntary data sharing agreements for secondary uses, such as commercial research. Use the BMA template letter to ask the ICB to review existing automated data extractions.
- June
Medicines optimisation software Not in BSol
The national call is to disable non-contractual prescribing optimisation tools. Birmingham and Solihull practices should not take this action: the tools are required under our local Enhanced Service Offering, so removing them would breach that contract.
- July
Shared care Continuing
Decline new shared care requests patient by patient where you don’t have the capacity or specialist competence to monitor safely, in line with GMC guidance. Record your clinical reason, not funding, on the BSol Decision to Decline Prescribing form. Existing arrangements continue, to keep patients safe.
- August
Patient awareness Continuing
Display the BMA campaign posters and leaflets, use the waiting room films and website graphics, sign and share the public petition, and write to your MP about the pressures your practice faces.
- September onwards
No new actions Paused
All existing actions continue while talks take place. Further escalation is paused, not cancelled.
Latest updates
- Consultants to strike in dispute over pay and conditionsNews 27 Oct 2026
- Hospital consultants to strike following lack of formal negotiations with GovernmentNews 26 Oct 2026
- RCGP petition: more GPs for continuity of careHave your say 19 Oct 2026
- Patient petition for better funding and support for general practiceHave your say 19 Oct 2026
- Labour Party ConferenceNews 19 Oct 2026
- Dr Onyinye Okonkwo meets MPs at the Conservative Party conferenceNews 7 Oct 2026
Why GPs are taking action
The BMA entered a formal dispute after the 2026/27 GMS contract was imposed. 99% of BMA GP members voted to reject it. The dispute builds on concerns raised since October 2025 about un-resourced contract requirements, safe working capacity, and expanding online access without safeguards.
- Workforce: demand for care far exceeds what the current workforce can safely deliver.
- Unfunded work: work is being moved from hospitals into general practice without the funding or staff to match.
- Patient safety: requirements for unlimited online access, without safeguards, make safe triage and clinical decision-making harder.
BLMC’s role
LMCs are democratically elected bodies representing all GPs. We are not trade unions, so we don’t have the legal protections of industrial relations law. That is the BMA’s role.
On formal legal advice, BLMC can support the BMA’s collective action and show solidarity to help achieve contract and policy reform. BLMC does not organise or call for action beyond what the BMA has set out.
Less of the NHS budget for general practice
General practice delivers around 1.5 million appointments every working day, yet its share of NHS spending has fallen for two decades while hospital spending has grown.
The 8.3% includes PCN and ARRS funding, so core practice funding has fallen further. Figures use different sources and definitions, so treat them as a guide to the trend.