19 May 2025

SDLP Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath MLA has criticised the Health Minister’s handling of GP contract negotiations.

Mr McGrath warned that the Minister’s approach risks deepening the crisis in primary care and undermining public confidence in the health service.

Responding to the Minister’s oral statement in the Assembly South Down MLA Mr McGrath said:

“The Minister says he respects GPs, yet today’s statement reads more like a declaration of war on primary care. GPs are burnt out, patients are suffering and instead of working with them to fix the growing access crisis, the Minister has imposed a contract they’ve already rejected.

“The Health service needs reform, but our GPs need trust from those in power. You cannot claim to be ‘shifting left’ towards prevention and early intervention while alienating the very professionals who already deliver that care on a daily basis. This approach makes things worse: for doctors trying to do their jobs under impossible pressure, for their staff, and for the public desperately trying to get an appointment.

“The SDLP has called for the Minister to publish the data underpinning his claims around indemnity, and to return to meaningful engagement with GP representatives. What the public wants to see is cooperation, not confrontation. We need a plan that fixes access, supports GPs, and restores faith in a health system many feel has already failed them. If the Minister imposes this contract which GPs have already rejected, then he will be the one who must take responsibility for the consequences.”