Recent Government action has lead to over 1,000 new GPs being recruited into primary care. As part of the Plans for Change the Government ‘removed the unnecessary red tape preventing practices from hiring newly qualified GPs’, and allocated an additional £889 million to the existing GP budget. Since October 2024, 1,503 newly qualified GPs have been hired across general practice networks in an effort to achieve NHS goals of shifting care from hospitals to the community.
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‘We welcome the news on the recruitment of an extra 1,503 GPs which is a positive step towards getting the additional GPs we need and securing employment for newly qualified doctors,’ said Ruth Rankine, director of the primary care network at the NHS Confederation. ‘Like the rest of the NHS, general practice is seeing unprecedented demand with 60 million more appointments since before the pandemic, so the additional workforce is severely needed to meet patient needs.’
The recruitment boost means that patients will be more easily seen with more appointments. The increase in GP staffing and extra funding have eased pressure on general practices, with the additional workforce allowing more appointments to be readily available. Patients will also be able to book appointments online, and be able to book their regular family doctor.
‘We inherited a ludicrous situation where patients couldn’t get a GP appointment, while GPs couldn’t get a job. By cutting red tape and investing more in our NHS, we have put an extra 1,503 GPs into general practice to deliver more appointments,’ said Health Secretary Wes Streeting. ‘The extra investment and reforms we have made will allow patients to book appointments more easily, to help bring back the family doctor and end the 8am scramble.’