GPs: working harder than ever

Workload in general practice has been increasing, with direct clinical workload for GPs rising by 18% in 7 years.1 But funding for general practice2 and investment in workforce have not risen to keep pace. Research by the Royal College of General Practitioners shows that GPs are routinely working 11-hour days in clinic, with up to 60 patient contacts per day. GPs are now working harder than ever. It is not surprising then to find that one in three GPs think that their current workload is unmanageable.3 Workload is consistently identified as a key reason underpinning the current exodus of many GPs from direct clinical care.4 Promises of more GPs made by NHS England, along with £2.4 billion in extra funding for general practice, are welcome.5 But progress addressing workforce issues has been slower than anticipated, and major issues in the recruitment and retention of GPs persist. Indeed, against government ambitions to increase the overall number of GPs by 5000 by 2020, the 1-year period between 30 September 2016 and 2017 witnessed an overall decline in the full-time equivalent number of GPs of 1193, representing a 3.5% reduction in GP capacity. Adequate and fair remuneration are necessary to attract and retain GPs, as part of wider efforts to build a sustainable and thriving general practice workforce. Using data from more than 300 000 primary care patients, Mukhtar and colleagues provide a timely …