Across London the number of GPs is down by 246 since 2015, representing 5% of the total
The number of patients per GP across five North London boroughs has risen by 20% in just nine years, according to a trade union analysis.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) analysed official data to reveal that across London the number of GPs has fallen by 246 (5%) since 2015, with eight of these from the North Central London NHS area which includes Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Islington and Camden boroughs.
But when rising patient numbers are then taken into account as well, the TUC has shown that it equates to nearly a 24% growth in patients per GP across London, and a 20% rise in the North Central London NHS area.
Across England, the number of GPs has fallen by nearly 2,000 (6%) since 2010, despite repeated government promises to boost numbers, leading to an 18% rise in patients per GP.
The most impacted part of London is the north-west of the capital – encompassing Brent, Ealing, Harrow, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster boroughs – which has seen a 33% increase in patients per GP.
The TUC points out that in 2015 the then health secretary Jeremy Hunt pledged to recruit 5,000 more GPs by 2020. But since 2015 the number of doctors at GP surgeries in England has fallen by 1,874.
NHS England figures published last month revealed that in November 2023 one-in-ten patients waited over two weeks to see a GP, and one-in-20 waited over a month.
The TUC says delays in accessing GP services are forcing some people to visit already-stretched accident and emergency departments instead – placing additional strain on frontline services.
Sam Gurney, TUC regional secretary, said: “Everyone should be able to see their GP when they need to – but too many people in London are having to wait weeks for an appointment.
“This is not the fault of overstretched GPs. There are simply far fewer of them than in 2015.
“Having promised on multiple occasions to increase GP provision, the Tories have presided over a huge fall in local doctors in London.
“This failure to retain and recruit GPs is placing a huge strain on GP surgeries and the wider NHS, as more patients are forced to use emergency services. And it means people lose days at work while they wait for the healthcare they need.”
On the need to fund public services at the forthcoming budget, Gurney added: “The chancellor must act and prioritise public services in the forthcoming budget – starting with fixing our chronic GP shortage.”
North Central London Integrated Care Board, which is responsible for delivering NHS primary care across Barnet, Enfield, Haringey, Islington and Camden, did not respond to a request to comment on the TUC’s analysis of the latest data.
https://enfielddispatch.co.uk/number-of-patients-per-gp-in-north-london-up-by-20-in-under-a-decade/
