Number of patients per qualified GP rises to 2,300

9 Dec 2022

EMBARGO: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

There are now 2,300 patients for every fully qualified GP, up from 2,100 four years ago, damning new ONS figures have revealed.

The figures show that the number of patients per fully qualified GP in England has risen in every one of the past four years.

GP practices in the most deprived areas had 2,400 patients per fully-qualified doctor, compared with 2,100 patients per fully-qualified doctor in the least deprived areas.

The Liberal Democrats said that the figures show patients are “paying the price” for years of broken promises by the Conservative government, which has failed to meet its targets to recruit more GPs.

Liberal Democrats have set out a plan to boost GP numbers and give everyone the right to a GP appointment within one week, or 24 hours in an emergency.

Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Daisy Cooper said:

“These figures show how patients are paying the price for years of broken promises and neglect from the Conservatives.

“Right across the country people are being left struggling to get a GP appointment when they need one. This can lead to delayed diagnoses or people turning to A&E in desperation instead.

“The Liberal Democrats have set out a plan to boost GP numbers, by increasing training places and fixing broken pension rules. This would ensure people can get an appointment within a week, or 24 hours if they are in urgent need.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

Data from the ONS is available here.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to recruit an 8,000 extra GPs to deliver 65 million more appointments a year. This would be done by:

Increasing training places for GPs and medical school places across the country.
Making it more attractive for junior doctors to become GPs once they’ve been trained, including career development and training programmes.
Helping experienced GPs to stay in the profession, including by fixing the broken NHS pension rules.
Launching a scheme to encourage GPs and nurses who’ve left the NHS to return.

Data from the ONS is available here.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to recruit an 8,000 extra GPs to deliver 65 million more appointments a year. This would be done by:

Increasing training places for GPs and medical school places across the country.
Making it more attractive for junior doctors to become GPs once they’ve been trained, including career development and training programmes.
Helping experienced GPs to stay in the profession, including by fixing the broken NHS pension rules.
Launching a scheme to encourage GPs and nurses who’ve left the NHS to return.