c

More than one in 10 GPs now over 60 years old

16th December 2022 by NASGP

More than one in 10 GPs now over 60 years old

More than a tenth of the GP workforce in England is aged over 60, analysis by GPonline has revealed.

General practice is relying more heavily than ever on end-of-career doctors, who make up 10.1% of the fully-qualified FTE workforce.

Figures show that this cohort has swelled compared with 2015 (earliest available data), when just 7.8% of the workforce was over 60.

The same effect has been observed for GPs over 55, whose numbers have grown nearly three percentage points during the same period.

Pressure on GPs from tax and pensions has created a potential cliff-edge for an already burned-out profession.

Dr Richard Fieldhouse, NASGP chair, said: “A 25% increase in the number of GPs over a seven-year period would be such an amazing headline were this to be about GPs at the beginning of their career. But we’re actually seeing this growth in the cohort preparing to retire from general practice.

“As an organisation, we’re here to welcome any GPs leaving partnerships to help support them in a new GP locum career, and we call upon our profession to take a more proactive role in supporting GPs in any role that they find themselves in.”

"Without the support of LocumDeck, I would have struggled to get it all organised. Ali and her team were extremely supportive and patient with me; they explained how to use it, made it flexible for my needs and allayed all fears regarding various invoicing issues. The ongoing support is also fantastic with educational webinars, NASGP Locum Chambers meetings and a quick response to any queries. I would recommend it to anyone starting out as a GP locum. It takes away the administrative stress and allows you to focus on clinical work."

Dr Himanka Rana, GP, Isle of Wight

See the full list of features within our NASGP membership plans

Membership