Wes Streeting calls BMA ‘impossible’ and says they made ‘misleading’ claims | NHS

Wes Streeting has accused the British Medical Association (BMA) of being “impossible” and publishing “misleading” information, escalating tensions with doctors’ unions.

In an unusual move, the health secretary wrote to England’s 50,000 GPs on Thursday to convey his disappointment with the BMA over recent changes to make it easier for patients to communicate online between 8am and 6.30pm, Monday to Friday, from last month.

He underlined his concern about the union’s conduct by ending its long-standing role as sole negotiator of the union’s annual GP contract covering doctors’ pay and terms and conditions.

Streeting’s letter was sent to the BMA’s GP committee chairman, Dr. It comes after a recent speech by Katie Bramall. They accused ministers of being ‘traitors’ betraying their profession and lying to them.

In this article he referred to Bramall’s speech at the annual conference of local medical committees (groups of local GPs) in England on 7 November. Streeting “accused the government of being ‘traitorous’ to the profession, of ‘insincerity’, ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘gaslighting’,” he wrote.

“Not only was this speech deeply unprofessional and unbecoming of a professional representative body, it was also misleading,” he added. “The BMA has accepted these contract amendments [on online access to GPs] in February 2025 and any suggestion to the contrary is factually incorrect.”

He said the BMA had failed to demonstrate “mutual respect and professionalism” in its dealings with the government. “Your union representatives are currently making it impossible for me and my officials to act in good faith in the way we all want.”

The relationship between Streeting and the BMA became increasingly fragile, mainly due to long-running strikes by junior doctors over pay and difficulties in finding places to begin training in their chosen medical specialty.

The union’s resident doctors committee (RDC) is considering whether to hold another strike before Christmas, which would be the 14th since March 2023, given that legal strike powers expire on January 6.

street said BMA agreed Expanding patients’ digital access to GPs is in talks regarding this year’s contract, which concluded in February. But the union claims it is guilty of “breaking promises” by failing to put in place measures to prevent already busy GP practices from being “overwhelmed” by patients submitting requests for help online.

Responding to Streeting’s letter, Bramall said a recent BMA survey found that 42% of the more than 1,300 practices that responded had to reduce the number of face-to-face appointments they offer because GPs were too busy communicating online.

“Fewer appointments and practice meltdowns are not a win for patients or the profession,” he said.

Separately, the BMA’s council chairman, Dr. Tom Dolphin criticized the health secretary for publishing his letter, which revealed the union’s role in drafting the GP contract had diminished.

“We would have preferred the health minister to engage privately and directly with the BMA to de-escalate tensions rather than the media. Governments cannot and should not decide their negotiating partners,” he said.

Streeting will consult other bodies, including the Royal College of General Practitioners and the NHS Confederation, in its negotiations for the 2026-27 GP contract to ease the BMA’s role.

NHS England boss Sir Jim Mackey has called on the BMA to end the “doomsday cycle” of junior doctors’ strikes, especially during the winter months when the NHS comes under intense pressure.

In a letter to the RDC about the issue, he said the NHS and ministers were working hard to end the impasse, in which the BMA said 20,000 doctors were left unemployed and unable to advance their careers by securing places in specialist training.

Mackey added that each strike forced the NHS to prioritize safe care during the strike, costing £250 million. “Let’s do what we can to prevent industrial action during the winter months when our patients really rely on us to be there for them,” he said.