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BMA annual meeting: GPs working at unsafe levels should issue “black alert”-style warnings, says BMA

BMJ 2017; 357 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j3135 (Published 28 June 2017) Cite this as: BMJ 2017;357:j3135
  1. Abi Rimmer
  1. BMJ Careers
  1. arimmer{at}bmj.com

GP clinics should use a system similar to hospital “black alerts” to indicate when they have reached their maximum capacity, the BMA has said.

Delegates at the BMA’s annual representative meeting in Bournemouth on 27 June voted in favour of a motion saying that a system similar to the “black alerts” issued by hospitals should be introduced for general practice. The motion called on the BMA to construct such a system “with or without government cooperation.”

The term “black alert” has been used by hospitals when demand outstripped their capacity and has usually meant having to divert patients elsewhere to receive emergency care. This type of alert has since been replaced by a new system, the Operational Pressures Escalation Levels (OPEL) …

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