Wes Streeting Calls Bma ‘impossible’ And Says They Made ‘misleading’ Claims

Wes Streeting has accused nan British Medical Association (BMA) of being “impossible” and issuing “misleading” accusation successful an escalation of tensions pinch nan doctors union.

In an different move, nan wellness caput wrote connected Thursday to England’s 50,000 GPs to convey his vexation pinch nan BMA complete caller changes that from past period made it easier for patients to interaction them online betwixt 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday.

He has underlined his interest astir nan union’s behaviour by ending its longstanding domiciled arsenic nan sole negotiator of nan yearly GP statement which covers doctors’ salary and position and conditions.

Streeting’s missive was prompted by a caller reside by nan caput of nan BMA’s GP committee, Dr Katie Bramall, successful which she accused ministers of being “traitors” to their occupation and of betraying and lying to them.

In it he referenced nan reside that Bramall gave connected 7 November to nan yearly convention of section aesculapian committees – section groups of GPs – successful England. She “accused nan authorities of being ‘traitors’ to nan occupation and of ‘disingenuousness’, ‘duplicity’ and ‘gaslighting’,” Streeting wrote.

“This reside was not conscionable profoundly unprofessional and unbecoming of a master typical body, it was misleading,” he added. “The BMA agreed these statement changes [on online entree to GPs] successful February 2025 and immoderate suggestions to nan contrary are factually incorrect.”

He said that nan BMA was not displaying “mutual respect and professionalism” successful its dealings pinch nan government. “Your national representatives are presently making it intolerable for maine and my officials to prosecute successful bully religion successful nan measurement we would each want.”

The narration betwixt Streeting and nan BMA has go progressively fractious, chiefly complete nan long-running bid of strikes by resident – formerly inferior – doctors complete their salary and difficulties getting places to commencement training successful their chosen aesculapian specialty.

Resident doctors, antecedently known arsenic inferior doctors, picket extracurricular St Thomas’ infirmary successful London this month. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock

The union’s resident doctors committee (RDC) is weighing up whether to shape different walkout – which would beryllium their 14th since March 2023 – earlier Christmas, fixed their ineligible onslaught instruction expires connected 6 January.

Streeting said the BMA agreed to grow patients’ integer entree to GPs successful nan negotiations complete this year’s contract, which concluded successful February. However, nan national claims that he is blameworthy of “broken promises” for not putting successful spot safeguards to extremity already engaged GP practices becoming “overwhelmed” arsenic a consequence of patients submitting requests for thief online.

Responding to Streeting’s letter, Bramall said a caller BMA study had recovered that 42% of much than 1,300 practices which responded person had to trim nan number of face-to-face appointments they connection because GPs are truthful engaged dealing pinch online communications.

“Fewer appointments and believe meltdown isn’t a triumph for patients aliases nan profession,” she said.

Separately, Dr Tom Dolphin, nan BMA’s chair of council, criticised nan wellness caput for revealing nan simplification successful nan union’s domiciled successful drafting up nan GP statement by publicising his letter.

“We would person overmuch preferred nan wellness caput to interaction nan BMA privately and straight to activity de-escalation, alternatively than via nan media. Governments do not get to determine their negotiating partners, and not should they,” he said.

Streeting will consult different bodies, including nan Royal College of GPs and NHS Confederation, successful his negotiations complete nan GP statement for 2026-27, to dilute nan BMA’s role.

The NHS England boss, Sir Jim Mackey, has urged nan BMA to extremity nan “doom loop” of strikes by resident doctors, particularly during nan winter, erstwhile nan NHS comes nether aggravated pressure.

The NHS and ministers are trying difficult to extremity nan standoff, which has seen what nan BMA says is 20,000 doctors near unemployed and incapable to advancement their careers by securing places successful speciality training, he said, successful a missive to nan RDC astir nan problem.

Each onslaught forces nan NHS to prioritise safe attraction during nan walkout and costs £250m, Mackey added. “Let’s do everything we tin to avert business action during winter, erstwhile our patients really trust connected america being location for them,” he said.