Around one in 15 GP practices could be forced out of business and the UK will face a shortfall of nearly 10,000 GPs by 2020, the RCGP has warned.
Patient safety will be at risk unless the ‘chronic shortage’ of GPs is addressed, the college says, with 594 GP practices at risk of closure by 2020 and a likely shortfall of 9,940 GPs.
GP practices now carry out 1.3m consultations per day across the UK, the college said, with workload up 16% over the past seven years. But the number of full-time equivalent GPs has fallen from 35,990 in 2013/14 to 35,589 today, the college warned.
The college predicts a shortfall of 8,371 GPs in England, 830 in Scotland, 424 in Wales and 316 in Northern Ireland by 2020.
For full article see GPonline 19 September 2016