Almost 20,000 family doctors in England who could work for the NHS are 'lost' to it, according to a study published in the BMJ. The proportion of qualified GPs not providing care through the health service has risen from 27% in 2015 to 34% last year, deepening patients' difficulties in getting appointments.
The research found that while 58,548 GPs were on the General Medical Council register at the end of 2024, only 38,626 were working in general practice in England – a difference of 19,922. The Patients Association described the findings as 'deeply distressing' for patients who often face frustration and anxiety when trying to access a GP appointment.
Heavy workloads, increasing patient demands, and lack of time to provide proper care are driving burnout among family doctors, fuelling their exodus from the NHS. Many newly qualified GPs are either not joining the health service after training or quitting early in their careers, the researchers said.
The financial cost is enormous, with each fully qualified GP costing £430,540 to train. The study estimated that the gap between licensed and practising GPs in 2024 represented an £8.6bn investment in training by headcount, or £13.1bn by full-time equivalent, lost from NHS general practice.
The findings align with recent GMC research showing big increases in GPs planning to move abroad, work privately, or leave medicine altogether. The proportion of GPs likely to move abroad more than doubled from 10% in 2020 to 21% in 2024, while those planning to switch to private work rose from 23% to 29% over the same period.
Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said the NHS's inability to retain family doctors meant new recruits were 'pouring into a leaking bucket'. She urged Health Secretary Wes Streeting to focus more on improving retention than expanding numbers through the upcoming workforce plan revamp.
