GPs working part-time becoming commonplace

A new General Medical Council survey has found that part-time working for GPs is becoming commonplace, emphasising concerns about the government's drive to recruit extra doctors.

The research found that some 45 per cent of GPs are working less than full-time, with a third cutting their hours in the past year, with the GMC poll also finding that more GPs intended to follow suit soon because of rising workloads.

The survey, of nearly 3,900 doctors - more than 1,000 of whom were GPs - suggests GPs are the most likely to work part-time as well as the most likely to report dissatisfaction with their working lives. The key reasons cited by respondents were rising workloads and patient expectations, with one in 10 having to take time off work because of stress.

The Conservatives have set a target to recruit 6,000 extra by 2025 in England, as part of ongoing election pledges, but GMC chief executive Charlie Massey has warned that while more GPs were coming through training, it was not enough to keep up with demand. To make matters worse, latest figures show that plans to increase the number of full-time equivalents have hardly changed, even though the same government said it would increase numbers by 5,000 by 2020.

He said: “The clinical work of GPs is changing. They're seeing more patients, many with complex needs and some who have high expectations of what primary care can do for them. To break this cycle of workforce shortages we need a clear plan, in all four countries of the UK, for a sustainable increase in the number of GPs."