Are GP numbers rising or falling? The launch of the government’s new primary care plan on Tuesday prompted a raft of apparently contradictory claims. We’ve dug into the data 👇
, there are lots of different ways to count the number of GPs, or “doctors in general practice”—the figures depend on whether you look at headcount or full-time equivalent roles, and whether you include GP trainees.
If you look at the total number of FTE GPs including trainees, then Mr Sunak’s and Mr O’Brien’s headline figure for doctors working in general practice in England is correct—the number rose from about 34,520 in December 2019 to around 36,430 in March 2023, an increase of 1,910. However, this increase has been fuelled by a sharp rise in the number of trainees. In December 2019, some 6,390 of the total number of FTE roles were GP trainees, and this climbed to 9,120 in March 2023, an increase of about 2,730., advise against including trainees when counting the total number of GPs, as trainees are expected to have dedicated education time and may carry out fewer and longer appointments than a qualified colleague.
Mr Sunak was careful to refer to “doctors in general practice” rather than GPs, as was Mr O’Brien when speaking to the Today programme, and this is generally the terminology ministers have used in recent months, to allow for the fact that the figures include trainees. But speaking to GB News Mr O’Brien said “nearly 2,000 more GPs”, which could be confusing, as trainees are not fully qualified general practitioners.
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