Longer wait for patients as number of GPs falls

PEOPLE IN Calderdale could face a longer wait to see their doctor as patient numbers continue to rise amid a drop in GPs.

NHS England data reveals that 222,119 patients were registered at GP practices in the NHS Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group area on March 1.

The number has increased by 14 since the start of the year, when there were 222,105 patients spread between 102 GPs, according to workforce figures taken a day earlier.

But while the number of patients continues to rise each month, different NHS figures show the number of full-time equivalent GPs in Calderdale is falling. Over the course of 2019, three fewer GPs took on 805 more patients.

That means the average GP now has around 2,178 patients, compared to 2,108 at the start of last year.

The figures include partners, registrars and salaried GPs as well as locum and retained GPs, but not other practice staff.

Across England, 60.4m patients were registered at GP practices at the start of March.

But despite a rise in FTE GPs in the country, the number who were fully qualified fell to 28,319 in December last year – 277 fewer than in December 2018.

The King’s Fund says this is partly down to more GPs choosing to spend only part of their week in frontline clinical practice.

Beccy Baird, senior fellow at The King’s Fund, said: “Demand for GP services has been rising faster than capacity. The overall number of full-time equivalent GPs keeps falling and that creates a vicious cycle of increased pressure on primary care services.

“Increasing the number of GPs, pharmacists and other primary care professionals is critical.”

Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: “We need to ensure that valuable GP time is spent on the frontline.”