A GP takes a patient’s blood pressure (stock image)
(Picture: PA Wire)The number of full-time GPs in London has fallen over the last five years despite a rise in the number of patients, the Standard can reveal.
Analysis of data from NHS Digital shows that the number of permanent qualified family doctors working in the capital fell by three per cent from September 2017 to 2022 — despite a growth in demand.
The number of patients has risen by 10 per cent in the same period, with a total of 10,733,640 patients registered in surgeries in the NHS London region as of last month. The number of patients aged 75 and over, who are more likely to use the health service, increased by over 50,000 during the period.
The figures suggest that the workload for GPs is growing as staffing levels decline, putting more pressure on surgeries as the NHS recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The proportion of patients per practice across all age groups jumped by 12 per cent from September 2019 to 2022. All GP statistics are based on the number of full-time equivalent posts in the workforce, not including trainees or locums.
A study released by the King’s Fund last month found that almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of trainee GPs plan to work part-time a year after they qualify. Among the 318 future family doctors surveyed, more than three-quarters (78 per cent) of those preferring part-time work cited the “intensity of the working day” as a reason not to go full-time.
Fewer than one in four (23 per cent) qualified permanent GPs worked at least 37.5 hours a week in England on September 2022, according to the NHS Digital data. Across England, the number of GP appointments climbed to its highest total in six months with a total of 28,251,282 offered.
Across England, the number of overall GP appointments climbed to its highest total in six months with a total of 28,251,282 offered up. Over a third (68.1 per cent) were carried out face to face, the highest number since before the pandemic.
Former health secretary Therese Coffey last month promised that no patient would wait longer than two weeks to see a GP, though it is unclear if Steve Barclay will commit to the same target.
Ruth Rankine, director of primary care at the NHS Confederation, said: “We need our new Prime Minister and Chancellor to urgently face up to the chronic staff shortages across the NHS and the Government must set out a fully funded workforce plan to address this.”
