GP retirement reduces quality of primary care and drives demand in acute

General practice in the UK experiences difficulty with medical staff recruitment and retention. Reduced numbers of junior doctors choose careers in general practice alongside increases in less-than-full-time working, career breaks and early retirement. The lack of primary care results in virtually non-existent preventable activity and general health declines. This results in more people being admitted to hospitals with acute illness.

Proposed workforce impact

• There is an increase demand in acute services due to lack of availability in GP services.
• There are increased admissions into acute settings rather than treatment by GPs.

Sources or references

• www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12049026
• www.pulsetoday.co.uk/your-practice/practice-topics/employment/gps-bring-forward-their-retirement-plans-in-looming-crisis-for-profession/20002539.article
• www.population-health.manchester.ac.uk/priamrycare/npcrdc-archive/aarchive/ProjectDetail.cfm/ID/53.htm

Additional research questions

• How successful will the 3,250 GP training target be?

Some of the information in this section is provided by stakeholders and expert groups, and does not necessarily represent the views of the CfWI.