GP exodus could force hundreds of practices to close in next five years, royal college warns

More than 2.5 million patients in England could lose their GP practice to closure in the next five years unless urgent measures are taken to reduce the number of doctors leaving the profession, the Royal College of General Practitioners has warned.

The college said “untenable” workload pressures were pushing older GPs towards the exit door, and called for urgent initiatives to improve retention of the workforce.

The college gave the warning after conducting an analysis that found that 762 practices across the UK were at risk …