A latest analysis by GPonline suggests that “general practice is becoming increasingly reliant on doctors aged over 55 at a time when early retirements in the profession have surged.”
The study suggests that there is an overall fall in the number of GPs in the past few years. This is after the government promised to increase the number of people in the workforce which is a major setback during the Covid-19 pandemic. Almost 3,500 GPs took early retirement in the five years from 2014/15 to 2018/19 according to official data that show a sharp rise in doctors retiring early over the past decade.
The analysis says, “The proportion of fully-qualified full-time equivalent (FTE) GPs aged over 55 rose to 23.3% in June 2020, according to workforce data published last week by NHS Digital. This is a sharp rise compared with the 20% figure for September 2015, when former health secretary Jeremy Hunt made his ill-fated pledge to add 5,000 GPs to the workforce by 2020. Among GP partners, meanwhile, the proportion of the FTE workforce aged over 55 has now risen beyond 30% for the first time, reaching 30.1% in June this year. This figure has also risen sharply in the past five years - up from 24.4% in September 2015 - as overall numbers of partners continue to plummet. Among fully-qualified GPs in permanent roles - a figure that excludes locums and registrars - 23.6% are now over 55, compared with 20.3% in September 2015.”
The figures, from GPonline analysis of the latest GP workforce data, also reveal how the slump in the overall workforce has led to a growing reliance on older doctors in general practice. Last year, Matt Hancock had promised to increase the FTE GP workforce by 6,000 by 2024-25. But, the latest data shows a clear failure of the system. It suggests that “The full-time equivalent (FTE) GP workforce in England is at its lowest point since September 2015, with the number of fully-qualified GPs down by 380 over the past three months alone, official data show.”
GPOnline had reported that GP trainee recruitment is on track for a third record-breaking year in a row after the number of posts filled in the first rounds for 2020 hit an all-time high, Health Education England (HEE) figures show.
What comes as a major point of concern is the fact that the GP workforce is ageing.
The second half of the last decade saw a significant rise in GPs taking early retirement - suggesting that many of the doctors in older age groups whose contribution and experience remains vital may not be prepared to remain for long.
BMA GP committee chair Dr Richard Vautrey said, 'The NHS has faced significant underfunding with doctors facing an unsustainable increase in workload in the last couple of decades, exacerbated by workplace issues including more bureaucracy and over-regulation. This has had an enormous impact on many doctors’ well-being and, therefore, their view on the longevity of their careers. As we know, there have also been punitive pension rules that have impacted negatively on their incomes.'
