The BMA’s national ballot for collective action has opened for GPs in Cumbria.

GP members who run their surgeries will vote on whether to support the BMA’s call for collective action.

The decision to launch the ballot came after the BMA formally entered a dispute with NHS England following the member referendum on the 2024/25 GMS contract changes in March.

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Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of BMA's General Practitioners Committee in England, said: “Despite numerous warnings and their refusal to improve the contract we’ve been left with no choice but to take action to save general practice.

“I urge all GP partner and contractor members to vote 'yes' and show the next Government that GPs can no longer tolerate running practices with less and less funding as demand continues to spiral.

"We want to provide patients with a quality service but it’s increasingly clear, and our patients can see for themselves - we simply cannot do that without sufficient investment and more GPs in our surgeries.”