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Roughly 250 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) qualified GPs left the profession in the last year, according to the latest General Practice Workforce data.
Despite this drop, the number of Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) GPs now stands at 37,419 – up by 1.1% (392) compared to September 2022, while the number of FTE nurses has also risen by 0.7% (124).
The number of FTE Direct patient care staff saw the biggest rise at 5.4% compared to last year. While it is positive to see this number rising, the NHS Confederation warns that “we are still a long way off reaching the government’s pledge of 6,000 more GPs.”
Same day appointments down slightly compared to last year
The latest GP appointment data has also been published, with GPs delivering 32.6 million appointments in practices and primary care networks in September 2023. This is up from 29.2 million during the same period last year.
The number of same day appointments has reduced slightly compared to last year, with 39.7% occurring on the same day they were booked compared to 41.5% in September last year.
Nurses conducted slightly more appointments this year compared to last, with 43.9% of all appointments in September 2023 carried out by a GP and 22.1% carried out by nurses, compared to 47.3% and 21.6% respectively in the same period last year.
GPs working had to deliver care in challenging circumstances
The NHS Confederation says the new data indicates that “positive steps” have been made in recruitment and retention efforts, but there is still a long way to go to meet the government’s target.
Ruth Rankine, director of primary care at the NHS Confederation said: “With over 31 million appointments delivered in September 2023, 1.5m every day, general practice continues to work hard to deliver patient care in the midst of current challenges. This is nearly 3m more appointments than August 2023 and a 9% increase on September 2022, with the overwhelming majority – 71% – of these delivered face to face.
“We are also seeing positive steps in terms of staffing; there are 5.4% more direct patient care staff than this time last year. Whilst the number of full-time equivalent GPs is up slightly, we are still a long way off reaching the government’s pledge of 6000 more GPs.
“General practice is the bedrock of the NHS which continues to deliver for patients and with the right level of investment in workforce, technology and estates will be able to transform to do more to keep people well and out of hospital. That is why our members want to see more investment and greater flexibility in the 2024/25 contract so they can design and deliver services that truly meet the needs of their population.”