GPs vote to accept new contract

GPs today voted overwhelmingly to accept a new NHS contract that promises to bring about the biggest changes to general practice since the 1960s.

The new General Medical Services contract is designed to tackle recruitment and retention problems by giving doctors an average pay rise of 26% over three years and the ability to opt out of out–of–hours work.

Today the British Medical Association revealed that in a ballot of UK GPs 79.4 per cent voted to accept the proposed contract.

In total 45,750 ballot papers were issued and 31,945 were returned.

Some 25,359 doctors voted yes to the question "Do you wish to see the proposed the new GMS contract implemented?" And 6,586 voted no.