BMA claims one in ten GPs at risk of closing

According to major survey conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA), more than 800 GP practices in England are at risk of closure because they are ‘financially unsustainable’.

The survey involved input from 2,830 practices and found that 10 per cent of practices regarded themselves as financially unsustainable within the next year. The responses also suggested that 46 per cent of practices employed at least one GP who planned to retire, or leave the UK general practice in the next 12 months.

Commenting on the survey’s results, Dr Chaand Nagpaul chair of the General Practitioners Committee (GPC) said it was 'unsurprising that GPs are considering leaving the NHS while new medical graduates are turning their backs on a career as a GP’.

Nagpaul added: “With hundreds of GP practices facing financial uncertainty we need the government to act urgently to deliver a comprehensive rescue package that safeguards GP services for patients. We cannot have a situation where thousands of patients are left without a local GP practice that can deliver the care they deserve.”

A Department of Health (DoH) spokesperson said: “We know GPs are under pressure and that is why we have agreed record investment for general practice. We saw an increase in the number of GPs recruited last year, and we will continue to boost numbers with an extra 5,000 doctors in general practice by 2020 - helping to deliver a safer NHS for patients seven days a week."