The latest GP workforce data has been published showing that the number of fully qualified GPs continue to decline and in August 2023, the NHS in England had the equivalent of 27,246 fully qualified full-time GPs, 2,118 fewer than in September 2015. 

The longer-term trend is that the NHS continues to lose GPs at an alarming rate: over the past year we have lost the equivalent of 269 fully qualified full-time GPs.

The number of practices in England has also decreased by 110 over the past year – and as of August 2023, there was another record- high of almost 63 million patients registered in England, with another record-high average of 9,872 patients registered per practice.

This is an increase of 363 patients per GP, or almost 20% since 2015, demonstrating the ever-mounting workload in general practice. Read more about GP pressures here.