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In a written question to the government, Labour MP for Stockport Navendu Mishra asked for an update on progress towards the Conservative manifesto promise to increase the FTE GP workforce by 6,000 by 2024.
The question came just weeks after health and social care secretary Sajid Javid admitted that the government was not on track to deliver the promised increase.
Responding to the question, health minister Maria Caulfield wrote: 'In September 2021, there were 1,841 more FTE doctors in general practice compared to September 2019.
However, the figure quoted by Ms Caulfield includes trainee GPs - presenting a picture that BMA leaders have warned masks the fact that the fully-qualified GP workforce actually fell over this period.
Data from NHS Digital show that numbers of fully-qualified FTE GPs fell by 187 between September 2019 and September 2021 - a 1% drop that is in stark contrast to the rise claimed by Ms Caulfield.
www.gponline.com
They can add this lie to their other lies about 50,000 new nurses and 48 new hospitals
I always get the impression that they are smugly imagining what a good job they have done to manipulate the truth in this way, and duping the public, but really it just makes them appear dishonest and untrustworthy. It's a sad state of affairs that practically everything that comes out of government ministers mouths these days is a distortion of the truth, because they have no real achievements they can be proud of
The question came just weeks after health and social care secretary Sajid Javid admitted that the government was not on track to deliver the promised increase.
Responding to the question, health minister Maria Caulfield wrote: 'In September 2021, there were 1,841 more FTE doctors in general practice compared to September 2019.
GP workforce
'We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England. This includes measures on recruitment, addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encouraging them to return to practice.'However, the figure quoted by Ms Caulfield includes trainee GPs - presenting a picture that BMA leaders have warned masks the fact that the fully-qualified GP workforce actually fell over this period.
Data from NHS Digital show that numbers of fully-qualified FTE GPs fell by 187 between September 2019 and September 2021 - a 1% drop that is in stark contrast to the rise claimed by Ms Caulfield.
Health minister repeats 'misleading' claim that GP workforce is growing
A health minister has suggested the government is nearly a third of the way to delivering its promise to increase the general practice workforce by 6,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) GPs - despite numbers of fully-qualified GPs continuing to decline.
www.gponline.com
They can add this lie to their other lies about 50,000 new nurses and 48 new hospitals
I always get the impression that they are smugly imagining what a good job they have done to manipulate the truth in this way, and duping the public, but really it just makes them appear dishonest and untrustworthy. It's a sad state of affairs that practically everything that comes out of government ministers mouths these days is a distortion of the truth, because they have no real achievements they can be proud of