GP workforce crisis is predicted as earnings fall for seventh year in a row

GPs in the United Kingdom have seen their income fall for the seventh successive year in real terms, as rises in practice expenses continue to outstrip increases in earnings.

New figures published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that the average income in real terms of contractor GPs (those working under national General Medical Services (GMS) and local Personal Medical Services (PMS) contracts) was £102 000 (€130 000; $170 000) before tax in 2012-13, down from £104 100 in 2011-12 (figure⇓).1 The figures mean that the annual income of contractor GPs has fallen by 22% in real terms since 2005-06, when it stood at £129 994.

The …