GP industrial action is not the first in 60 years

With GPs in England voting to take collective action over changes to their contract, it’s been claimed in the media this week that this means GPs are taking industrial action for the first time in 60 years.

Earlier this week, we spotted versions of this claim from the Independent, Daily Mirror, ITV News and Evening Standard, while Monday’s Daily Mail front page described the potential disruption as “the first in 60 years”. 

And we saw similar claims on Thursday (1 August) after the result of the GP ballot was announced. The Independent said “GPs vote for industrial action for first time in 60 years”, and the Sun said “NHS GPs to take industrial action for first time in 60 years”. The Big Issue, Reuters, the Telegraph and the Times were also among those to make similar claims.

However, this isn’t quite right. Some GPs took industrial action 12 years ago as part of a dispute over pension changes. 

Following contact from Full Fact, a number of the media outlets listed above have made corrections—we’re grateful to the Sun, Reuters, the Mail, the Independent and ITV News for doing so. Some of these claims seem to have been based on copy circulated by the PA Media news agency earlier this week, which has also since been amended.

Newspapers which are regulated by IPSO (the Independent Press Standards Organisation) must comply with the Editors’ Code of Practice, which states: “The Press must take care not to publish inaccurate, misleading or distorted information or images, including headlines not supported by the text.”

What did GPs vote for this week?

The vote by GPs to take action this week came amid a dispute over funding levels. It’s important to note GPs did not vote to go on strike but instead to take collective action. 

The doctors’ union the British Medical Association (BMA) is asking GPs to take “at least one of the actions” it has outlined, such as limiting the number of daily patient contacts, deferring decisions on local or national pilot programmes or stopping the “rationing” of referrals, investigations or admissions. The BMA says at this stage services are not being withdrawn.

The ballot for this was non-statutory. The BMA said seven out of ten eligible members voted, with 98.3% of these supporting collective action. 

The BMA said this action is the “initial phase of the campaign”. It also said that it hopes to “never get” to phase two, “but further steps could involve escalation to contract breach actions, eg action short of strike or strike action”. 

The BMA told Full Fact: “Collective action is broadly a form of industrial action that doesn’t breach contract, and therefore doesn’t require [Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation)] legislation to be met… as GP partners are not employees, they are not subject to TULRCA legislation.”

Responding to news of the vote for collective action, health secretary Wes Streeting said: “I can understand why GPs wanted to punish the previous government. But taking collective action will only punish patients.”

When did GPs last take industrial action?

GPs previously took part in industrial action in June 2012, alongside other doctors, as part of a dispute over government pension reforms. At the time it was estimated between a fifth and a third of GP practices took part. 

Some GP trainees may have taken strike action more recently. In 2023, the BMA said that GP trainees could take part in junior doctor strikes, and last month the union “encouraged” GP registrars (qualified doctors training to become GPs) with NHS employers “to take part in the strike action”. In 2016, some GP registrars went on strike alongside other junior doctors too. 

GPs as a group last took collective action in 1964 when they collectively handed in undated resignations. It led to reforms including the Family Doctor Charter.