Recruitment and retention challenges in general practice have a direct impact on patients. Responses to our most recent survey reflect the circumstances and concerns of practices responsible for a quarter of the Capital’s registered patients, with the total list size of responding practices standing at 2,046,742.
Also:
- Over a quarter of responding practices (28%) are reporting vacancies, and of those reporting a vacancy 62% are lacking at least one GP.
- The total list size of responding practices with vacancies is 570,250. That’s 5% of London’s patients reliant on short staffed general practice teams, based on a response from 17% of practices.
- Whilst a third of a million patients (333,250) are registered with a practice from which GPs plan to retire within the next three years.
- Fewer than a quarter of responding practices (22%) say they feel optimistic about being able to safely meet patient need over the coming months.
- The number of practices who say that their ability to deliver safe patient care is being impacted by workload shift remains high at 75%.
- And 68% of those practices say that they are unable to absorb that additional workload.
- Only 22% of practices, when asked how they feel about being able to safely meet patient need over the coming winter months, feel optimistic. Down from 24% at the same time the previous year, in Wave 16.
The data gathered from previous workforce surveys has been used in a number of ways to support our work advocating for you, including:
- Obtaining coverage of London’s GP workforce crisis in dozens of articles and reports, including on the front page of a national newspaper.
- Securing practice visits with MPs and Assembly Members from the three main political parties representing London.
- Being invited to submit evidence to Parliamentary committee enquiries.
- Showing commissioners and the other bodies which make up London’s health landscape that GP practices are facing significant workforce issue.
A set of selected slides from the final report will be added to this page shortly.