Doctors surgeries will remain open as Suffolk patients amid collective action by GPs with the government over funding. 

Over 8,500 GPs in the British Medical Association took part in a ballot and 98.3% voted in favour of taking part in one or more type of collective action. 

The action will last for an indefinite period but Suffolk and national health bosses are reassuring patients to not put off coming forward for medical advice and help as surgeries will remain open.

However as a result of the ballot NHS services are likely to be busier than usual. 

From today (August 1) the union will encourage practices to choose from a list of 10 actions and implement the ones they wish. 

These include limiting daily patient contacts per clinician to the UEMO-recommended maximum of 25, refusing to share patient data unless it’s in the best interests of a patient, and referring patients directly to specialist care.

It comes as the union says GPs have been "repeatedly ignored and not given the funding they need to handle growing pressures." 

They say that of the NHS budget GPs get only 6% of guaranteed funding, with the BMA’s GPC England Committee stating this needs to increase by 1% year on year, to 15%.

A Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board spokesperson said: "Although this means NHS services are likely to be busier than usual, people are urged not to put off coming forward for medical help and advice.

"All the usual sources of help and advice are open for business.

"GP practices will remain open and if you have an appointment, you should attend unless informed otherwise. If you need to see a GP or a member of your practice team, you should contact them in the usual way to book an appointment."

They added that NHS 111, both online and on the phone, will remain open 24/7 and pharmacies may be able to provide over-the-counter help for certain ailments.

Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS national director for primary care and community services, said: “GPs and their teams are the bedrock of the NHS, and we recognise they are working really hard and dealing with record demand.

"On behalf of patients, the NHS has a duty to plan for collective action, and we will continue to work with government to find a resolution and end collective action.

"Our message to the public remains the same – they should continue to come forward for care during this collective action, as GP practices will remain open."

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of BMA's GP committee for England (GPCE), said: “We had a huge response to this ballot, and the results are clear – GPs are at the end of their tether. This is an act of desperation.

"For too long, we’ve been unable to provide the care we want to. We are witnessing general practice being broken.

"The era of the family doctor has been wiped out by recent consecutive Governments and our patients are suffering as a result."

She continued: "General practice should be the front door of the NHS, not the doormat. We don’t want to have to take this next step but must if we’re to stop our services from collapsing completely.

"A key Labour manifesto promise was to bring back the family doctor, and we look forward to making sure that can become a reality as soon as possible." 

Collective action will begin from August 1 and during this time practices are still required to open from 8am to 6.30pm Monday to Friday. 

The impacts of the collective action will vary at different practices and between areas.