The ratio of patients to doctors in England has reached over 2,200 patients for each GP, according to analysis prepared for the Liberal Democrats.
Since June 2017, the number of fully qualified GPs excluding trainees has fallen by 1,343, despite a Government promise to hire an extra 6,000 GPs by 2024. Over the same period, the number of registered patients has soared by more than 3.1 million. According to the analysis, based on research from the House of Commons, that means the number of patients per GP has risen from 2,007 in June 2017 to 2,217 in March 2022.
The research also shows disparity of health access amongst postcodes. Blackburn with Darwen has exceeded 3,000 patients per GP, more than anywhere else in the country. This is followed by Hull (2,890), Portsmouth (2,819) and Thurrock in Essex (2,785). The lowest number in England is found in Wirral in the North West, which has just 1,762 patients per GP.
In Wales, the latest available figures are compiled per practice – and these have increased from 6,250 per practice in 2007 to 7,610 per practice in 2018. Scotland has the best number of GPs per head of population in the UK, according to research commissioned by the BBC. Analysis by the Nuffield Trust shows there are 76 GPs per 100,000 people, compared to a national UK average of 60. That means each GP north of the border has 1,315 patients. In Northern Ireland there is one GP for every 1,423 registered patients.
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