Half of GPs plan to quit NHS in next five years

Almost half of GPs say they plan to quit the NHS in the next five years, amid growing anger at the volume and intensity of work and the rise of “virtual” consultations.

Research published in BMJ Open found 42% of family doctors intend to leave or retire within the next five years, a rise of almost a third since 2014.

Workload and intensity were the primary reason given by doctors, with 51% of GPs reporting that they were working longer hours than in 2014.

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Science Daily says “this has been linked to the size of the GP workforce not keeping pace with the growing healthcare needs associated with the changing age profile of the UK population, with more people living with complex long-term conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and stroke”.

In addition, as community and social care services are being cut back or stretched, more pressure is put on general practice as patients have fewer options to turn to.

A Pulse investigation last year revealed that GPs were left to pick up the work after the public health grant for England was cut by almost 10% (£531m) from 2015/16 to 2019/20, in addition to reductions in other funding schemes that feed into public health programmes.

What is more, almost one in every two GPs are over the age of 45, meaning “the medical workforce is ageing, and many experienced older doctors are finding that working in today’s NHS is too taxing on their work-life balance and can have a detrimental impact on their health and wellbeing, causing some to seek early retirement” GPC chair Dr Richard Vautrey told GP Online.

Time wasted on administration and bureaucratic tasks was another key issue highlighted in the BMJ Open report, but the rise of video and email consultations for patients was the policy singled out as most disliked by doctors.

While hugely unpopular amongst GPs, however, the practice is set to be extended across the UK, potentially pushing even more towards the exit door.

Last year, the then-health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said “virtual” consultations should be available to every patient, and promised to roll out the scheme nationwide by 2021.

It followed a recommendation by Genetist Dr Eric Topol, who was commissioned by the health secretary to examine the NHS approach to genomics, robotics and artificial intelligence.

He concluded that remote monitoring of conditions, online consultations and telemedicine are set to become the norm within a decade - predicting they will soon outnumber face-to-face consultations.

The Daily Telegraph says this could mean “some professions could see numbers reduce, as artificial intelligence takes on some of the role performed by doctors and scientists”.

However, this will do little to ease the strain on GPs, with the study suggesting digital innovations aimed at saving time actually add to the volume of work and costs.

Professor Jeremy Dale, from Warwick Medical School, who led the research, said: “There’s a worsening crisis in general practice. The situation is bad, it is getting worse and GPs are feeling increasingly overworked and increasingly negative about the future.”

In a bid to address these concerns, in January, the current health secretary, Matt Hancock, unveiled the NHS’s long-awaited Long Term Plan, promising increased investment and support for primary care, a reduction in bureaucracy, and 22,000 proposed new allied health professionals and support staff working in general practice.

“Views from our survey would suggest that many of the changes in the long-term plan, such as greater funding for general practice, increasing the GP workforce, and increasing clinical and support staff in general practice, are desperately needed,” said Dale.

“But in the context of low and worsening morale and job satisfaction, the question is can these be introduced quickly enough now to stem the flow of GPs who are bringing forward their plans to leave the NHS,” he concluded.