Local ongoing actions involve various actions, which will impact GP registrars in different ways. GP registrars are advised to support the choice of their host practice.
If your practice has decided the practice will be participating in local action
1. Partners or contractors should instruct GP registrars which local action(s) the practice will be taking
If your practice decides to undertake any actions, you should discuss with your trainer how your work might change and how you can support the local action. You should not see any increase in your workload as a result of local action. General practice must be united to make change.
2. Any local action that will significantly change ways of working needs to be clearly communicated, ideally in writing, to GP registrars
If any local action that your partner/partners or contractor decides to take will significantly change ways of working at the practice, and therefore your working day, this should be clearly communicated to you, preferably in writing. The changes made to how you work and the anticipated duration of these changes should be clearly explained, preferably in writing, to ensure shared understanding and clarity. Any further changes to working patterns, for example if your practice ‘adds’ actions, should be communicated at least a week before implementation and with explanatory notes provided to staff.
3. If a local action will change ways of working, changes to the GP registrar’s agreed work schedule should be made by mutual agreement
Partners and contractors should hold discussions with their GP Registrar staff to clarify the proposed changes to work patterns as a result of an action. Only by mutual agreement should changes be made to the GP registrar’s job plan, in particular given the contractual protections in place for GP registrars.
It should be clarified whether the changes will be a permanent change. In particular, we expect the adoption of safe working principles to continue and become a permanent positive change for all of general practice.
What to do if your practice/partners are taking part in local actions but as a GP registrar you do not want to or you are unable to
As per usual practice working, GP registrars must follow the reasonable instructions of their practice in order to avoid being in breach of their contract. Changes to your job plan should only be implemented by mutual agreement. Where the action involves clinical judgement, however, normal Good Medical Practice principles apply and it is the individual’s responsibility to determine whether they can deliver safe patient care.
If ultimately, the GP or GP registrar determines that specific action is against their clinical judgement, they must be able to demonstrate they have made the clinical decision in the patient’s best interest. If the individual has concerns about the safe delivery of patient care during the period of local action, they should follow the GMC’s guidance on raising and acting on concerns about patient safety.
We would also highlight that, for GP registrars or resident doctors working within a GP setting employed by the Armed Forces, this would not be termed as actions they would be prohibited from undertaking as part of the actions currently set out.
Will undertaking any local action impact on GP registrar pay?
No. These actions are regarding the delivery of services as directed by the partners at each practice. This should not have any impact on the terms and conditions of GP registrars. If your host practice says they are having to change your employment conditions due to their participation in the action, please contact the BMA for advice.
Will undertaking local action impact on GP registrar pay?
No. These actions are regarding the delivery of services as directed by the partners at each practice. This should not have any impact on the terms and conditions of GP registrars. If your host practice says they are having to change your employment conditions due to their participation in the action, please contact the BMA for advice.