More than 300 GPs left the NHS last year – the equivalent of 700,000 patients losing their family doctor, according to the British Medical Association.

Warning of an unsustainable staffing crisis, it has released data on both GP workforce numbers and staffing in hospitals, which shows that since September 2015, England has lost more than 1,750 full-time family doctors, with over 300 leaving in the past 12 months. The BMA analysis follows the release of the latest data by NHS Digital.

With GPs in England now caring for an average of 2,222 patients each, it equates to the equivalent of more than 700,000 patients losing ‘their GP’, said Dr Kieran Sharrock, BMA GP committee England deputy chair.

He said: “For years GPs have been stretching themselves more thinly as the workforce crisis deepens. Never has this been more evident than during the pandemic – and in November practices in England booked a record 34.6 million appointments. That’s enough appointments to cover over half the population of England in a single month. Doing more with fewer staff is not safe and not sustainable. Most recently we’ve seen practices pulling out all the stops so they can help deliver the booster and vaccine campaign – but this has meant re-prioritising other care. Sadly, and amid pressures across the whole NHS system, we recognise this results in patients waiting longer for the care they need.”

Dr Sharrock warned that staff are exhausted, burnt out and putting their own health at risk. “There is then the further impact of absence caused by Omicron in recent weeks – and we cannot afford to lose any more valuable staff at this crucial time,” he said. “In the short-term we need to protect staff by providing adequate PPE, ensure access to testing, and lower community COVID transmission to prevent more staff getting sick. In the longer-term we need meaningful solutions to the workforce crisis that has blighted general practice for too long.”