Surgeries in large towns in England have a higher number of patients per GP than those in cities or small built-up areas, while there is a sharp difference between places with high and low levels of deprivation, analysis shows.
South-west England has the lowest number of patients per fully qualified doctor while London has the highest – although all regions have seen a “steady rise” in recent years.
The figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that across England there were 1,720 patients per doctor at GP practices in October – down from 1,800 four years ago.
But when trainees and locums are excluded from the total, the number of patients per fully qualified family doctor has risen from 2,120 to 2,260.
“This suggests that there are more trainee doctors and fewer fully qualified GPs now than in 2018,” the ONS said.
Less populated areas tend to have fewer patients per GP compared with more urban areas, the analysis shows.
Large towns had the highest number of patients per fully qualified doctor, at 2,400, while cities – excluding London – had 2,290.
However, medium and small towns had 2,280 and 2,100 patients per GP respectively, and small built-up areas of fewer than 5,000 people had the lowest at 1,950.
At a regional level, London had the most patients per fully qualified GP (2,450) while the South West had the fewest (1,980).
“There has been a steady rise in the number of patients per qualified GP in all regions of England, although the increase was smallest in the South West,” the ONS said.
GP practices serving patients in less deprived areas tended to have fewer patients per GP than those in more deprived areas.
There were 2,370 patients per fully qualified doctor in areas with the highest levels of income deprivation, compared with 2,070 in areas with the lowest levels.
There were also fewer patients per fully qualified doctor in practices with the highest proportion of people aged 65 and over (1,980) compared with practices with the lowest proportion (2,620).
It is likely that “a combination of factors” influence the number of patients per GP, including funding available to practices and changes in local areas such as new housing developments, the ONS added.
“The average age of patients tends to be linked to the type of area they live in. There is evidence that suggests elderly people are more likely to live in affluent, rural areas, compared with younger people who are more likely to live in areas of higher deprivation and population levels.”
