Practices taking part in collective action will need to instruct salaried and locum GPs on any changes to their way of working, the BMA has warned in new guidance.
Collective action began this month following a ballot result in which 98% of GP partners voted in favour, with actions including capping patient contacts at 25 per day and stopping engagement with advice and guidance.
The BMA guidance said that any proposed changes to the way salaried and locum GPs work must be ‘mutually agreed’, especially if they require an adjustment to their job plan or terms of engagement.
Partners or contractors should instruct their salaried GPs on action the practice is taking so they can do the same, it said.
‘It is important for salaried GPs to be engaged in and supportive of collective action, and this can be achieved by employers making concerted efforts to include all practice staff in conversations about the campaign, aims and desired outcomes.’
‘Collective action will be most effective when the changes to working are adopted by the entire clinical team, including sessional GPs,’ it added.
And where collective action ‘significantly’ changes the way a salaried GP works in the practice, the BMA has advised that this should be clearly communicated ‘ideally, in writing’ by the GP partner or contractor.
Any further changes to working patterns, for example, if a practice ‘adds’ actions, should be communicated at least a week before implementation and with explanatory notes provided to staff.
However, the guidance makes clear that any proposed changes to a salaried GPs’ job plan as a result of collective action need to be the result of ‘mutual agreement’, with partners and contractors holding discussions first and being clear about whether amendments are temporary or permanent.
The BMA goes on to provide advice on how to manage a variety of scenarios including where a practice is taking action but doesn’t want their salaried GPs to participate; where a practice isn’t taking collective action at all; and where collective action is being taken that a salaried GP doesn’t want to join in with.
Ultimately, the guidance warned: ‘Salaried GPs must follow the reasonable instructions of their employer in order to avoid being in breach of their contract’.
Meanwhile, practices taking action should invite locums to participate too, the BMA has said.
Partners should hold discussions with any currently engaged locum GPs in the practice to explore any actions they may wish to participate in.
Both salaried and locums should see no change to their pay or remuneration, the guidance added.
