The BMA as a trade union and professional association
The BMA stands up for doctors both individually and collectively on a wide variety of employment issues.
BMA as a professional body
Through research and publishing they lead debate on key ethical, scientific and public health matters and award grants to encourage individual research in medicine.
The Scottish General Practitioners Committee (SGPC)
The BMA General Practitioners Committee (GPC UK) represents all GPs in the United Kingdom and deals with all matters affecting NHS general practitioners whether or not they are BMA members. The Committee is represented on a wide range of national bodies concerned with health. In addition, other organisations are represented on the GPC itself. These include voting nominees of the Medical Women’s Federation, the Medical Practitioners Union, the British International Doctors Association, and non-voting nominees of other BMA branch of practice committees, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the British Dental Association. BMA GP Members in Greater Glasgow & Clyde elects one representative to attend GPC UK meetings.
SGPC is a branch of the GPC UK. SGPC has the remit of negotiating with Scottish Government on the devolved matter of health and all aspects of the Scottish GP Contract. 6 Glasgow LMC members are elected on a yearly basis to serve on SGPC. Those GPs from Greater Glasgow & Clyde who are members of GPC UK have an automatic seat on SGPC.
Annual LMC Conferences
The LMC is a vehicle through which GPs on the frontlines of Primary Care can express their views, either individually or through their elected LMC members, and the LMC feeds these views to SGPC / GPC via the Annual LMC conferences. There are 2 conferences, the Scottish LMC conference held in Glasgow and the UK LMC conference.
Policy recommendations and decisions are established during these 2 Annual Conferences of LMCs, when delegates from LMCs across the country debate issues related to all aspects of the delivery of Primary Care. It serves as the main forum to instruct the BMA on future policy.
