The rise in part-time GPs leaves fewer doctors to care for patients

The rise in part-time work by GPs has left fewer doctors caring for patients, research shows.

A study of national data shows that the number of doctors and practices has failed to keep pace with population growth.

While the total number of GPs in England rose by more than 2,000 in seven years, the fall in hours meant the number of full-time equivalent GPs fell by more than 600.

The researchers also said the rise of other roles in surgeries, such as physician assistants, means most consultations will soon no longer be provided by GPs.

However, according to more recent data, this threshold has already been exceeded.

According to NHS figures, 43.6 per cent of medical consultations were carried out by GPs in July this year, compared with 50.1 per cent in March 2022.

The new study shows that more and more practices are closing and merging, leaving those that remain to take on a greater number of cases.

Between September 2015 and September 2022, the total number of qualified GPs working in NHS general practice in England increased from 34,474 to 36,492.

But if working hours are taken into account, this equated to 27,321 full-time GPs, compared with 27,948.

In a paper published in the journal BMJ Open, the team from University College London (UCL) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) analysed NHS data alongside figures from other sources, including the Care Quality Commission, the health service regulator.

The study found that the average number of GPs fell from 0.53 to 0.45 per 1,000 patients, representing a 15 per cent drop, with the decline being sharpest among male GPs.

The researchers said their study did not include all of the work that a GP’s office does, such as managing correspondence, prescriptions and reviewing test results.

The data showed the average number of other roles in practices, such as pharmacists, social prescribers and medical assistants, increased by 67 per cent.

Researchers said the findings showed the number of general practices was shrinking while patient lists were “increasing”.

The number of people registered with an NHS GP practice in England grew by 11 per cent from 56,042,361 to 62,418,295 between 2013 and 2023.

At the same time, the total number of GP practices in England fell from 8,044 to 6,419, a drop of 20 per cent.

The data also shows that the size of GP rosters is increasing, with the average practice increasing by 40 per cent, from 6,967 to 9,724 patients.

‘General practice is the cornerstone of the NHS’

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “The NHS is broken and these findings show how much general practice has been neglected, but this government will fix that by shifting the focus of healthcare from hospital to the community.

“We have also committed to recruiting 1,000 more GPs into the NHS by the end of this year, announced a pay rise for GPs and practice staff, and will ensure practices have the resources they need to offer patients the highest quality care and meet increasing patient demand.”

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, president of the Royal College of GPs, said: “The findings of this study make it abundantly clear that we need many more GPs – we need to recruit more, but crucially we need to retain more in the profession for longer, providing patient care.

“While GP workloads are increasing, both in volume and complexity, this is being reduced to fewer GPs than five years ago. In the past year, GPs and their teams have carried out an average of 30 million consultations per month – over 4 million more each month than in 2019 – while the number of fully qualified, full-time equivalent GPs has fallen by 601.

“General practice is the bedrock of the NHS, and GPs train for at least 10 years to become experts in providing whole-person care, managing complex health needs in the community and alleviating pressures on the rest of the health service.

“We work in multidisciplinary teams and while our excellent nursing staff and other members of the wider team, such as pharmacists and physiotherapists, are highly valued, these roles are not substitutes for GPs and should not be used to fill gaps in the workforce.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “The NHS is broken and these findings show how much general practice has been neglected, but this government will fix that by shifting the focus of healthcare from hospital to the community.

“We have also committed to recruiting an additional 1,000 GPs into the NHS by the end of this year, having allocated an additional £311m for funding GP contracts in 24/25, an increase of 7.4 per cent, and we will ensure they have the resources they need to offer patients the highest quality care.”

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