The BMA’s recent survey of the profession included just over 3,000 sessional GP respondents.
Work-life balance
Just over 70% of locum GP respondent’s gave flexibility and the desire for a good work-life balance as the reasons for opting for their role, whereas the figure was just under 60% for salaried GPs.
BMA GPC sessional GPs subcommittee chair Vicky Weeks said: ‘These figures show that working as a sessional GP is a positive career choice…the majority of sessional GPs do not want a partnership and are attracted to the role because of specific positive features of working as a sessional GP.’
Partnerships snubbed
Perhaps the most striking finding of the survey was that only 7 per cent of salaried GPs, and 3 per cent of locum GPs, are working as sessional GPs because there are no partnerships available in their area.
And compounding this, the BMA survey found only 44% of practice-employed salaried GPs want a partnership in the future, while only 23% cent of locum GPs would want to become a partner.
Model contract
Other findings relate to the model contract available from the the BMA. All salaried GPs are recommended to use this contract, or one offering similar terms and conditions.
57% of salaried GPs have been on the BMA model contract in every practice they have worked in, whereas over a quarter of salaried GPs are not, leaving them vulnerable to suboptimal working terms and exploitation.
