Almost 19 000 GPs will leave in next five years without urgent action, RCGP warns

General practice will lose around 18 950 GPs and trainees over the next five years unless steps are taken to tackle intense workload and workforce pressures, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has warned.

The “mass exodus” is predicted by a recent RCGP survey of GPs’ career intentions, and is occurring against a backdrop of an overstretched and severely under-resourced service which is at breaking point and risks compromising safe patient care.

In response to the findings, the college has set out the actions that it believes are needed from the government to tackle the workforce and workload crisis in general practice and support practices to meet current healthcare challenges.1

Of the 1262 GP and trainee respondents to the survey, 42% said they are likely to quit the …