British Medical Association (BMA) Guidance

The BMA has produced a suite of information for GP partners, practice managers and doctors to use to ensure their practice is compliant and delivering the best patient care. Topics covered include:

BMA support services for GP practices

Communication with patients

Complaints in primary care

Employment advice

Funding and contracts

GP partners

GP premises

GP service provision

Locum GPs

Managing workload

Managing your practice list

Prescribing

Primary care networks

Primary care support services

The Care Quality Commission (CQC)

Vaccinations

Other BMA guidance the LMC office regularly receives queries about includes:

Access to Health Records (BMA Jun21)

Access to Medical Reports (BMA Jun21)

Advice & Guidance Update (BMA May 2024)

Adult Safeguarding Toolkit (BMA Jan24)

Children and Young People Ethics Toolkit (BMA Jan24)

Confidentiality and Health Records Toolkit (BMA Jan24)

Consent in paternity testing (BMA Sep20)

COVID Therapeutics (BMA Jun23)

Employment Status (BMA Law Dec21)  

Ethics of Social Media (BMA Mar24)

Focus on dispensing and prescribing (BMA Jun24)

Focus on GP data sharing and GP data controllership (BMA Jun24)

Focus on limited liability partnerships and the GMS contract (BMA Jun24)

Focus on medical associate professions (BMA Jun24)

Focus on PMS Reviews and Transition to GMS (BMA Apr16)

Focus on proforma and referral forms (BMA Jun24)

Focus on the 2024 premises costs directions (BMA Jun24)

Focus on the use of enhanced access appointments (BMA Jun24)

Focus on spending and the PCN DES capacity and access payment funding (BMA Jun24)

Focus on vaccinations and immunisations (BMA Jun24)

Future Proof Your Partnership (BMA Law Jul23)

Global Sum Allocation Formula (BMA Sep20)

GPs as Data Controller under GDPR (BMA Jun21)

GP Registrars annual leave, sick leave and study leave (BMA Nov23)

GMS contract and PMS agreement differences (BMA Sept20)

Mental Capacity Act Toolkit (BMA Mar24)

Needle Stick Injuries and Blood Borne Viruses: Testing adults who lack capacity (BMA Apr23) 

Primary and Secondary Care Working Together (BMA Oct22)

Private practice and GP contracts (BMA Sept20)

Refugee and Asylum Seeker Patient Health Toolkit (BMA Sept23) 

Requests for Medical Information from Insurers (BMA Jun21)

Responding to patient requests for assisted dying (BMA Oct23)

Sessional and Locum GP Contract Guidance (BMA Jun24)

Sharing Electronic Patient Records for Direct Patient Care (BMA Jun24)

Transparency for Doctors with Competing Interests (BMA Feb24)

Other Guidance

The following guidance may also be of interest to practices:

Community Pharmacy: Information for GPs (CPE Mar22)

Confidentiality: Good Practice in Handling Patient Information (GMC May18)

Continuing Professional Development (GMC Jun22)

Decision Making and Consent (GMC Nov20)

Good Medical Practice (GMC Jan24)

Good Practice in Prescribing and Managing Medicines and Devices (GMC Mar22)

How CQC Inspects and Regulates NHS GP Practices (Nov23)

Important Information for Health Care Professionals who Request Emergency Ambulances (YAS Jul23)

Key Principles for General Practice (CCG/LMC/PCS Jun17)

Leadership and Management for all doctors (GMC Mar22)

Managing Children and Young People’s Identified Health Needs (SCC2012)

Mis-selling Loans & Interest Rate Swaps (GPDF Jul23)

National Early Warning Score (NEWS) (NHSE Jul23)

Onward Referral – A Working Group Report (Academy of Medical Royal Colleges May18)

Protecting Children and Young People (GMC May18)

Personal Beliefs and Medical Practice (GMC legal annex updated Nov20)

Raising and acting on concerns about patient safety (GMC Mar12)

Reporting Criminal and Regulatory Proceedings (GMC Jul 23)

Responsibility for Prescribing between Primary & Secondary/Tertiary Care (NHS England Mar18)

Supporting Doctors who Undertake a Low Volume of NHS General Practice Clinical work (NHSE Mar19)

Treatment and Care towards the End of Life: Good Practice in Decision Making (GMC Mar22)

Visual & Audio Recordings (May11)

When a Patient Seeks Advice or Information about Assistance to Die (GMC Jul23)

Witness Summons and Court Orders (GPDF Jul23)