GP numbers will fall by 18% by 2021 under STP plans published for Somerset.
Under proposals drawn up by local NHS and council leaders GP numbers will fall, while practices will be expected to employ a greater range of new staff. Practices could also be merged to create larger organisations or integrated into foundation trusts.
The STP for Somerset is the second to propose a reduction in GP numbers over the coming years as part of NHS reforms. GPonline revealed in September that health bosses in east London were planning for the number of GPs required in the area to fall from over 600 today to around 400 in a decade’s time, while practices could be consolidated to serve populations of 10,000 or more.