Four in ten GPs are nearing retirement

FOUR in ten GPs are on the brink of retirement, it emerged yesterday.

Official figures show that 41 per cent – around 10,000 doctors – are 50 or over and are expected to quit within the next five to ten years. Only 8 per cent of GPs are under 30, and in some areas of England the proportion is as low as 0.5 per cent.

The NHS workforce data also reveals a sharp rise in the number of pharmacists and physician associates working in surgeries. Their numbers are up 30 per cent and 49 per cent respectively in the six months to March.

At a time of severe staff shortages they are increasingly conducting appointments and other tasks traditionally undertaken by family doctors. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt this week promised golden hellos of £20,000 for trainees who take up unpopular posts. Fewer young doctors are choosing to specialise as GPs, and are opting for more ‘macho’ career paths as surgeons or specialists.

At the same time rising numbers of doctors are retiring early in their 50s because they have had enough of the job and have amassed substantial pensions.

The normal GP retirement age is 60 but many are opting to leave much earlier to avoid heavy taxes on their pensions. These kick in once a pension pot exceeds £1million – many reach this limit by their 50s, thanks to their generous salaries.

The Government has pledged to hire an extra 5,000 GPs by 2020 – 2,000 of them from overseas. Yet that is only half of the number set to retire in the next few years.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, who is chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘We know that many practising GPs across the country are approaching retirement age, and it is a genuine concern for us, particularly at a time when we are crying out for more GPs in the NHS.

‘These doctors have huge amounts of knowledge and experience that will be a massive loss to the profession – and their patients – if they leave for good.

‘We need to do more to encourage experienced GPs to stay in the profession.’

The figures show that of the 26,111 GPs in England who have declared their ages, 10,508 are over 50. Of these, 384 are in their 70s – well past the normal retirement age.

This is almost double the number of GPs under the age of 30 – just 220. The health regions of Lancashire and Wessex each have only seven GPs under the age of 30.

A survey in May estimated one in eight GP posts was vacant, with some surgeries closing as a result. The average wait for an appointment is 13 days, up from ten in 2015.