We need to recruit, but crucially we need to retain more GPs to deliver patient care

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, featured in The Guardian, The Telegraph and the Independent responding to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's study on the fall in FTE qualified GPs and the increase in practice closures between 2013 and 2023. 

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

“Whilst GP workload is escalating, both in volume and complexity, this is falling to a smaller number of GPs than we had five years ago. In the past year, GPs and their teams have delivered an average of 30 million appointments 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.

“When these intense workload and workforce pressures lead to practices having to close, it is an enormous concern for GPs, their teams, and their patients – to close a practice will be one of the most difficult professional decisions a GP partner will have to make, and only after all other options have been exhausted.

“General practice is the bedrock of the NHS, and GPs train for at least 10 years to become experts in delivering whole-person medical care, managing complex health needs in the community, and alleviating pressures across the rest of the health service. We work in multi-disciplinary teams, and whilst our excellent nursing staff and other members of the wider team, such as pharmacists and physiotherapists, are highly valued, these roles aren’t substitutes for GPs and mustn’t be used to plug gaps in the workforce.

“The new Government has recognised the importance of general practice and has announced positive short-term steps to address some current recruitment issues. But this study shows the gravity of the crisis in general practice. It is clear that our service is in dire need of more investment, including into significantly increasing the GP workforce through recruitment and retention initiatives that will alleviate current pressures and ensure we can deliver the care our patients need.”

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.