Get General Practice In The UK Background Briefing

General practitioners (GPs) treat all common medical conditions and refer patients to hospitals and other medical services for urgent and specialist treatment. You'll have an important role looking after patients in your community.

Burnout and job dissatisfaction have been identified as key reasons for British GPs leaving the NHS. In one survey, three-quarters of British GPs reported their workload to be unmanageable or unsustainable. Another UK study conducted in 2016-17 suggested that more than 70% of GPs reported severe exhaustion.

General practitioners (GPs) treat all common medical conditions and refer patients to hospitals and other medical services for urgent and specialist treatment. You'll have an important role looking after patients in your community.

It is a demanding specialty which is essential for the health service. Training for general practice occurs after the Foundation Programme and usually takes three years to complete.

An investigation by Pulse, a website for GPs, found that in the nine years to August 2022, 474 surgeries across Britain had closed without being replaced. A shortage of doctors is by far the biggest challenge facing general practice.

Over the last year, the NHS has lost 402 individual (headcount) GP partners and 244 salaried, locum and retainer GPs. This has created a net loss of 646 individual GPs since January 2022. In FTE terms of 37.5 hours per week, this amounts to an equivalent loss of 470 full-time fully qualified GPs in the last year alone.

However, while there are many definitions of primary care, there is no clear definition of general practice. When the NHS was formed in 1948, general practice became responsible for all personal medical care, and became the gateway for individuals to access hospitals, specialist care and sickness benefit.

GP practices across the country are experiencing significant and growing strain with declining GP numbers, rising demand, struggles to recruit and retain staff and knock-on effects for patients.

The current crisis in general practice arises because of insufficient capacity and surging demand. In many parts of the country there are no longer enough GPs to deliver our vital role in a timely manner.