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NEWS: GP hours fall amid pensions crisis

The number of hours worked by fully qualified GPs in England has fallen in the last 12 months in spite of attempts to increase the workforce, according to new figures.

Only the increasing number of GP registrars offset the reduction in hours, according to the NHS Digital figures.

The figures show an increase in the total number of qualified GPs in England – but when full time equivalence is calculated, the number of permanent, qualified GPs fell by 2% in the year to the end of June, a reduction equivalent to 576 doctors.

GP leaders said that that is area of medicine is still “blighted” by a workforce crisis in spite of increased recruitment to training schemes. The pensions trap had contributed to doctors cutting their hours, the British Medical Association said.

The figures show some 38,581 fully qualified GPs working in the NHS in June, an increase of 295 in a year. But, when calculated on the basis of full time equivalence, this falls to 28,257, a 2% reduction in 12 months. The number of nurses in practices increased by 0.7% whilst the number of other direct patient care staff increased by 4.7%, reaching 19,490.

Dr Krishana Kasaraneni, from the BMA’s GP committee, said: “In the face of high workloads, punitive pension regulations and the overly burdensome admin that comes with running a practice, it is no surprise that the number of GPs, and in particular partners, is continuing to fall. This is despite repeated pledges from the Government to boost numbers by thousands.

“The Government must value the workforce, both by increasing resources and scrapping damaging pension rules that are forcing hard-working GPs to retire or reduce hours before they both want and need to.”

Professor Martin Marshall, vice-chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “The number of fully-qualified GPs leaving the profession is concerning and reflects the harsh reality of what it’s like for family doctors working in NHS general practice, facing intense resource and workforce pressures on a daily basis.

“Recruitment efforts over recent years have been significant – and it is testament to this important work that we have more GPs in training than ever before, and this needs to be redoubled.”

He added: “The decline in GP numbers cannot be ignored, and we urgently need to see further details of concrete measures to retain more GPs in the forthcoming People Plan, including tackling soaring workload, and resources increased to make the working environment more supportive, as a matter of urgency.”

* GP earnings increased by about 3% in 2018, according to other NHS Digital data, based on analysis of tax returns. GPs on general medical services contracts had an average income of £107,500, an increase of 3.6%, according to the figures. Income of salaried GPs increased by 2.9%, reaching £58,400.

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