. @TheBMA has said @RishiSunak "missed a vital chance" to stop doctors being "forced" to leave the NHS over "absurd" pension taxation rules, in response to the Budget. 1/ @TheBMA @RishiSunak 2/ The chair of the BMA pensions committee, Dr Vishal Sharma, said this morning it was "so frustrating" to see the Chancellor "missing an important opportunity to help keep thousands of doctors working in the NHS".

. @TheBMA has said "legal, ethical and practical implications must be considered" as the government considers making Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for healthcare workers. 1/ @TheBMA 2/ BMA council chair @CNagpaul said this morning: "The threat to staff who refuse the vaccine of losing their jobs, is also of grave concern."

.@TheBMA's GP Committee is telling practices they should "not feel pressured to return to a traditional 10-minute treadmill of face-to-face consultations that are neither good for patients nor clinicians" (a thread) 1/ 2/ In an email bulletin sent to GPs, they were advised to:
- offer patients consultations that are 15 mins or more
- apply to close the practice list to focus on the needs of existing patients
- not accept additional NHS 111 referrals above the contractual 1 per 3,000 patients

Some key points for primary care and GPs from the @CareQualityComm #StateOfCare report - a thread.
1/ GP practices are, once again, the highest-rated NHS service (90% rated Good, 4% requires improvement and <0.5% inadequate) that the CQC covers. 2/ The report says workforce data from NHS Digital shows "some areas of concern". Although the total no of full-time equivalent GPs from September 2020 onwards is higher than it has been, the no of qualified permanent GPs, excl GPs in training grade and locums, has been falling.