General practice has lost almost 600 fully-qualified GPs in the past year

[Northerner]

England's NHS has lost 576 full-time equivalent, fully-qualified GPs over the past 12 months - a drop that suggests the decline in GP numbers has accelerated.

In June 2019 there were 28,257 full-time equivalent (FTE) fully-qualified GPs working in England, figures from NHS Digital reveal - 2% below the figure a year earlier.

Over the three months from March to June 2019 alone, the FTE fully-qualified GP workforce slumped by 440 doctors, the figures reveal. This is similar to the fall in the GP workforce for the entire year to March 2019.

The data show that former health secretary Jeremy Hunt's pledge in September 2015 to add 5,000 FTE GPs to the NHS workforce remains far from being achieved. Current health secretary Matt Hancock pledged earlier this year to set a new deadline for delivering the increase after ditching his predecessor's promise that it would happen by 2020/21.

But the total FTE GP workforce figure that the government target is measured against - which includes registrars and locums - has actually fallen since Mr Hunt's pledge. In June 2019 the total FTE GP workforce was 34,114 - down 148 from 34,262 in September 2015

https://www.gponline.com/general-practice-lost-almost-600-fully-qualified-gps-past-year/article/1595076

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[SueEK]

Following on from the above in the 7 years that I have worked in a GP surgery we have had to merge with the surgery that was next to us as both were struggling financially. We now have 12 GPS, although all are part time and 3 registrars. A number of other small, 1-2 drs, surgeries have closed in the surrounding areas and it would seem that only larger practices are surviving. We have over 17,000 patients so needless to say there are constant problems with appt availability etc. The work the GPs do behind the scene is huge and never seen by the patients and complaints are aplenty. I really hope for everyone’s sake that the government invest more in our wonderful NHS and more GPs filter through to our surgeries.

 

[mikeyB]

It’s not so much financial investment that’s the problem. Medical students and newly qualified doctors have a choice of careers, and General Practice is one of them. Its not seen as a good career move, simple as that.