The GP registrars committee represents all doctors across the four nations of the UK on a GP training programme, including BMA members and non-members, while working in primary care.

Our priorities

The GP registrars committee works on a broad range of issues affecting GP registrars. Watch our video below to find out more about some of our work.

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Supporting the campaign for Full Pay Restoration

The real-terms pay erosion that you continue to endure is placing an unprecedented strain on you, exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis and the Government’s failure to recognise your value. You are not worth less than your predecessors in 2008.

We continue to support the campaign for full pay restoration alongside UKJDC and stand by all GP registrars as we take industrial action in England and Wales.

Read the latest on our campaign for pay restoration.

SCA examination

During the November SCA diet, after months of intense revision and personal sacrifices, many registrars sat the first round of the new Simulated Consultation Assessment.

Unfortunately, for some participants technical difficulties caused an already stressful event to be even more so. We have heard reports of disruptive microphones, ejections from the platform, absent or unprofessional role-players and all manner of other disruptions. To those who have experienced such difficulties on this final exam, we know there may be feelings of frustration, anxiety and anger.

The BMA GP registrars committee stands with you. The response from the RCGP has been inadequate, and those who have to resit must be compensated and safeguards must be implemented to ensure future registrars are examined fairly.

We have written to the RCGP explaining that whilst they have accepted that a number of candidates were unable to complete the exam on Tuesday, 14th November 2023, they have not acknowledged the level of disruption during sittings on other days.

The BMA GP registrars committee has requested that the RCGP takes our suggestions on board in order to restore faith in both the SCA examination and the College.

Read our letter to the RCGP

Medical associate professionals (MAPs)

The GP registrars committee is concerned about the patient safety implications of the rapid expansion of medical associate professionals (MAPs) including physician associates in general practice and recommends that GP registrars do not sign investigation requests involving ionising radiation or sign prescriptions on behalf of MAPs when they have not completed their own full assessment of a patient. We support GPC England’s call for an immediate pause on all recruitment of PAs across general practices and Primary Care Networks.

GPRC reminds GP registrars of their duties under the GMC ‘delegation and referral’ guidance, including that ‘you must be satisfied that the person to whom you delegate has the knowledge, skills and experience to provide the relevant care or treatment; or that the person will be adequately supervised’ and that ‘when you delegate care you are still responsible for the overall management of the patient.’

Read our joint statement on MAPs

RCGP membership and portfolio

The GP registrars committee recognises that many registrars do not feel the RCGP adequately represents them. We acknowledge concerns from registrars that current membership and examination fees are excessive, particularly in the context of the financial difficulties exacerbated by real terms pay erosion.

As a committee, we want to hear your views on your relationship with the RCGP and the shape of GP training in the UK, so we can effectively represent you.

Time out of training (TOOT)

The ongoing industrial action taken by doctors in England has highlighted the potential for improper application of extensions to GP training. We know that many registrars are concerned about the possibility of automatic extensions being applied to their anticipated CCT date because they exceeded the 14 day (ST1/ST2) or 21 day (ST3) time out of training (TOOT) thresholds.

At their December 2023 meeting, COGPED/COPMeD confirmed that 'extensions should not be applied to GP registrars’ anticipated CCT dates based solely on TOOT', and this has now been disseminated to all Primary Care Deans who have advised their offices accordingly.

The thresholds are not designed to trigger extensions to training but may trigger a review of overall performance and achievement of curricular outcomes by an ARCP panel. As training is competency based, if the panel determines that progress has been satisfactory and that all competencies have been met, then there is no reason for training to be extended.

While the EU-directive minimum training times (six months specialty, six months general practice and 36 months overall) no longer apply for doctors working in the UK, the GMC continues to record the amount of time an individual has spent in training for the purposes of the Swiss Citizens Rights Agreement (SCRA). It is important that any registrar who is set to CCT with training time less than these timeframes recognises that this could impair their ability to work in Switzerland should they wish to exercise their rights under the SCRA, which remains in place until December 2024.

Should you encounter any problems with this locally, contact the BMA immediately for support and advice.

More on time out of training (TOOT)

IMG visas and immigration

With almost half of GP registrars in the UK being international medical graduates (IMGs), we are increasingly concerned about the difficulties that GP registrars face with visas and immigration processes, and their ability to remain in the UK after completion of training. This causes significant anxiety and worry for GP registrars at a time that they should be preparing themselves for CCT and working as a GP.  We continue to highlight this issue to the UK Government, campaigning for GP registrars to be able to immediately apply for indefinite leave to remain on achieving CCT.

We call for more support for IMGs when starting in post, at a time when many IMGs commencing GP training are new to the United Kingdom and the NHS. We are working to lobby Statutory Education Bodies to ensure such registrars are provided with tailored support should they request it, and to allow Educational Supervisors to support IMGs in progressing through their GP training.

Self-directed learning (SDL) time

All GP registrars should receive a half-day of self-directed learning (SDL) time each week during their training programme as per the RCGP curriculum. Whilst SDL time is provided for by the ‘BMA/COGPED Joint Guide to a Session’ document during rotations in general practice, GP registrars in hospital posts experience significant regional and devolved nation variation in how they receive SDL.

In England, GP registrars are employed on a contract that stipulates that all activities mandatory for ARCP must be included within the personalised work schedule, and that this must include time for activities such as e-portfolio requirements. GP registrars on hospital placements must therefore have allocated time to complete all activities required for ARCP as part of their timetable and are able to exception report in order to highlight deviations from this contractual requirement in order to seek recompense.

As a committee, we believe 4 hours of SDL time each week during training should be protected and hospital posts should not be an exception. We are currently working with the relevant bodies to advocate for GP registrars to receive SDL time no matter what placement they are currently working on, in line with curriculum objectives to ensure that as adult learners, registrars are allowed time to identify their own learning needs and develop the knowledge and skills required to become safe and effective GPs of the future.

Travel expenses

Version 9 of the Terms and Conditions for doctors in training in England was published in April 2021. This clarified the provision allowing GP registrars that are required to use their personal vehicle for home visits to claim home to practice mileage and any associated travel costs, such as tolls. This was a significant improvement negotiated as part of the 2018 Junior Doctor Contract review. The ability to claim the home visit itself remained unchanged. Some employers are placing arbitrary caps on the number of claims registrars can claim, and we would urge any such instances to be raised with BMA.

More on travel expenses for doctors

GP registrar indemnity

GP registrars in England no longer need to purchase additional personal indemnity, under agreements secured by the BMA. Under the scheme, all GP registrars placed in GP settings for training purposes will automatically be covered for clinical negligence liabilities – no payments are required to benefit from the indemnity provided. Comprehensive personal indemnity cover for all GP registrars will be funded by HEE until qualification. Where a registrar's personal protection is currently provided by a medical defense organisation through a bulk-indemnity agreement, this will continue.

In Scotland, as an employee of NHS Education for Scotland (NES), your indemnity will be provided by CNORIS for the duration of GP training. However, there are other professional activities which may not be covered by CNORIS. When GP registrars work in a hospital setting, they are normally covered by the NHS Hospital and Community Health Services indemnity against claims of medical negligence. You may not be covered by the indemnity for certain circumstances, for example, providing services for which you receive a separate fee.

GP registrars within Northern Ireland need to organise their own indemnity through their local Medical Defense Organisation (MDO), for both GPST2 and GPST3, and claim back this expenditure from NIMDTA. It is important when discussing with your MDO you highlight Northern Ireland as your base, this ensures your cover will be correct, as registrars in Northern Ireland are not covered by Crown Indemnity.

As part of their training, GP registrars in Wales now have part of their indemnity relating to civil claims made as a result of their work within their NHS training duties. This cover is provided by the Welsh Risk Pool General Medical Practice Indemnity Scheme. GP registrars will still need to obtain personal indemnity whilst outlining to such indemnifiers that they are employed under the Lead Employer for GP registrars in Wales and as such receive some indemnity cover via the Welsh Risk Pool. These remaining personal indemnity costs (e.g for criminal proceedings, Good Samaritan) can be claimed back under expenses (via the Sea e-expenses system) from the single lead employer when a GP registrar is on a GP placement (i.e. not when working in hospital placements).

You can find out more about indemnity in all four nations here.

Our people

Chair: Malinga Ratwatte

Deputy chair: Elliott Philips

Associated committees

GPC UK
GPC England
GPC Northern Ireland
GPC Scotland
GPC Wales
Sessional GPs Committee
LMCs
UK junior doctors committee,
Northern Ireland junior doctors committee
Scottish junior doctors committee
Welsh junior doctors committee
Junior members forum

The GP Registrars committee will be attending relevant conferences.

Our meetings

The GP Registrars committee meets four times a year to discuss the issues that affect you. These meetings are open to committee members only.

Meeting dates:

• Wed 6 December – virtual
• Wed 27 March 2024 – hybrid
• Wed 12 June 2024 – virtual

For more information please email [email protected].

How to join

There are many advantages to becoming involved in our committees. You can actively influence BMA policy-making and negotiations, represent your colleagues' voices and develop your leadership skills. 

Each committee has a few routes to becoming an elected member. In the case of the GP Registrars committee, this is: 

The election section below is kept up to date with details about any running elections, so make sure you keep checking it throughout the year.  

Elections

Elections to the GP Registrars committee are now closed.

Get in touch

If you are interested in finding out more about our work, if you have any issues or questions relating to the committee, or if you would like to get in touch with your elected representative, please contact [email protected].