The rise of part-time GPs is a “major factor” in the primary care crisis, a study suggests.
Although patient demand has risen by a third, figures show GPs have cut their contracted hours by almost nine per cent since 2015.
This, combined with early retirements and staff shortages, means the number of patients per GP has increased, also by nine per cent, over the same period.
The shortage is being exacerbated by a significant reduction in the hours contracted by GPs, according to a study involving more than 306,000 doctors. The study indicates that the average GP now spends the equivalent of 26.25 hours working directly with patients.
Lead author Dr Rosa Parisi from the University of Manchester said the NHS in England is facing an annual reduction in the total working hours of GPs.
A GP with a patient (file image). Although patient demand has increased by a third, figures show that GPs have cut their contracted hours by almost nine per cent since 2015
Analysis of NHS figures suggests a record number of people are waiting four weeks to see their local GP (file image)
She said: ‘This decline is due to early retirement, high levels of GP turnover and low retention, insufficient numbers of newly trained GPs entering the workforce and a lack of recruitment from overseas.
‘But the reduction in working hours is also an important factor. We show that while the supply of GPs decreased by 2.7 percent between 2015 and 2022, the population of GP practices increased by 9 percent, while demand, measured by the total presence of chronic diseases, increased by 32 percent.
‘The biggest contributor to the overall decline in supply was an 8.7 per cent drop in contract hours for GPs, particularly males.’
Hours worked by female GPs, which have traditionally included more part-time staff, also fell, according to findings published in the British Journal of General Practice.
Surgeries in the most deprived areas had 17 per cent more patients and 19 per cent more chronic conditions per full-time GP, compared with the least deprived areas.
The researchers said GPs’ workload has changed over time and this reduction likely reflects patient care hours, rather than overall hours worked.
This comes as analysis of NHS figures suggests a record number of people are waiting four weeks to see their local GP.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said last night: ‘We have hit the ground running, recruiting an extra 1,000 GPs into the NHS by the end of this year and securing increased funding for practices to manage the growing pressures.
“The NHS needs important surgeries. Our ten-year plan will shift the focus of the NHS from the hospital to the community, so patients can get the care they need closer to home, including GP appointments.”