The average number of hours per GP session in 2021 was 49% more than the BMA’s official definition, a new study has shown.
Mean sessions per week changed from 7.3 sessions to 6.2 sessions, and hours per session rose from 5.7 hours to 6.2 hours in 2010 and 2021, respectively.
The increase in the numbers of hours worked per session over the last decade may lead to a relative decline in GPs’ hourly salary – particularly for salaried and partner GPs, authors warned.
Authors also recommended removing sessions as a definition of full-time working, instead using 37.5 hours per week to align with the wider NHS, and concluded that six sessions equate to full time.
The study emerges shortly after the BMA’s latest sessional GP survey that found on average from 1,852 GPs polled, respondents report working on average a day less a week than in 2022.
Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “We all understand intuitively that GPs are working more than ever before, so to have empirical research that shows that GPs working six sessions per week are actually already full time suggests existing ways of measuring capacity are not fit for purpose.
“It also goes a long to explain why so many GPs may feel they’ve already worked a full week by Wednesday evening.
“With plenty of fully-qualified GPs more than ready to step in to support GP practices in locum roles, it’s time for policy makers, guided by Manchester University’s other research into the high quality clinical cover already delivered by GP locums, to immediately and fully incorporate GP locums into its existing workforce plans.”