The latest data from NHS Digital shows that for March 2020, there were 27,985 full-time equivalent fully-qualified GPs working in England – a drop of 712 since March last year.
Responding to the latest figures, Prof Martin Marshall, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said it is “very concerning to see the number of full-time equivalent GPs in the profession continues to fall”.
“These figures show that while attention has been understandably focussed on the COVID-19 pandemic, workforce challenges have not gone away. This must be addressed – policy makers must not forget the promises that have been made for general practice, including 6,000 more FTE GPs, so that we can continue to deliver care to more than a million patients a day,” he said.
Throughout the pandemic, Prof Marshall said that the country has seen the goodwill of retired GPs returning to support the NHS and the College would like to see initiatives introduced to retain these GPs post-pandemic, “particularly those who retired early due to undoable workload”.
The College has reiterated its call for urgent publication of a detailed People's Plan that outlines exactly how the government plans to build the GP workforce, including plans to retain existing GPs in the profession.
"Rightly so, COVID-19 will continue to require attention and resources for the foreseeable future, and GPs and other healthcare professionals will have to balance this with providing care to patients with non-COVID-19 related health issues. It's imperative that the GP workforce has the capacity as well as resources to handle demands post-crisis," Prof Marshall said.
