The NHS England of general practice appointment and workforce data also shows that the number of full-time equivalent, fully qualified, permanent GPs was 27,519 in October 2024, compared to 28,590 in September 2015.

In response, Health Foundation policy fellow Jake Beech, said: ‘These numbers speak to the huge effort that has gone into meeting the high level of demand for primary care, but need to be seen within the context of declining patient satisfaction and high numbers of GPs struggling to manage overwhelming patient demand.  

'The number of full-time equivalent GPs in England is still fewer than in 2015. Although the expansion of other staff working in general practice – like pharmacists and paramedics – has helped to expand the number of appointments available, these staff cannot replace GPs who are responsible for managing the most complex cases. 

‘If the government is serious about its ambitions to move care out of hospital and into primary care then it needs to ensure general practice is given the resources it needs to recruit and retain more GPs, especially in the most deprived areas which are particularly under-doctored. This includes greater investment in training and staff development, and providing the right conditions to keep people in the workforce.'

NHS England Ruth Rankine, primary care director at the NHS Confederation, added: ‘It is clear that general practice is running extremely hot going into winter – just like other parts of the NHS – and is likely to get worse with the expected rise in winter viruses still ahead of us. As recognised in Lord Darzi's report, primary care is doing more work for a lesser share of the NHS budget. This is simply not sustainable and will make delivering on the government's commitments of moving from treatment to prevention, and delivering care closer to home, significantly harder to achieve.

‘Primary care is the front door of the NHS, but it is facing increasing demand and costs with fewer providers. The rise in Employer National Insurance Contributions could further exacerbate the problem with providers having to make staff redundant or close their doors permanently if these costs are not reimbursed by the government.'