BMA is ‘misleading’ doctors, Wes Streeting says in letter to GPs

Credit: PA Wire/Lucy North

By Jane Kirby, PA

Wes Streeting has written to GPs saying the BMA is “misleading” them and acting in an “unprofessional” way.

The health secretary and the union are locked in a dispute over changes to how patients can contact their family doctors.

GP practices must keep their online consultation tools running throughout core hours, allowing patients to request appointments, ask questions and describe symptoms online. The government has said the move is needed, wanted by patients and will help to end the “8am scramble” for appointments.

The BMA has entered formal dispute with the government over the changes, adding that its survey of 1,300 GP practices in England has exposed “significant concerns”.

In the poll, 42% of practices said they were having to reduce face-to-face appointments and 45% said they have had to redeploy staff to manage the changes.

Some 74% reported an increase in workload, 68% reported a rise in stress and 54% said there was an increase in working hours.

In his letter to GPs on Thursday, Mr Streeting praised family doctors and said patient satisfaction with general practice is improving, describing this as a “significant achievement”.

He said the BMA was in dispute over the online access contract changes “which they agreed to, and which the vast majority of practices have now adopted”.

He added: “Since entering government, I have sought a constructive relationship with the BMA GP Committee which, until recently, I believe we had.

“I am a staunch supporter of the trade union movement, but serious relationships with government demand a certain level of mutual respect and professionalism.

“Your union representatives are currently making it impossible for me and my officials to engage in good faith in the way we would all want.”

BMA: Government lacks understanding

Mr Streeting noted comments made by Dr Katie Bramall, chairwoman of the BMA GPs committee, in which she accused the government of being “traitors” to the profession and of “disingenuousness”, “duplicity” and “gaslighting”.

He said these comments were “deeply unprofessional” and “misleading”, adding: “The BMA agreed these contract changes in February 2025 and any suggestions to the contrary are factually incorrect.”

He added: “This is a government that wants to work constructively with the GP profession in genuine partnership, and I sincerely hope the BMA will choose to de-escalate their dispute.”

Dr Bramall, from the BMA, said: “We’re worried that the government doesn’t understand that safe, meaningful patient care can be delivered only when practices are supported and resourced.

“Thirty-four pence per patient per day – less than the price of an apple – was already inadequate resourcing, and the online access policy change further exacerbates this.

“When GPs entered dispute with the government on 1 October 2025, it was underpinned by the very real and present dangers of practices being overwhelmed by unlimited online queries…

“This is not about point scoring. It’s about the risk to patient safety.

“We have repeatedly sought to work with the government all year to make their aspirations a safe success but, in recent weeks, attempts have been thwarted by incessant media briefings and nameless sources engaging in what I can only call relentless attacks on the integrity of the profession.

“However, we stand ready to put things right, as is our duty to the staff and patients we represent, to ensure care is safe for patients and practice staff to move forward constructively.”

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