Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of fully qualified GPs since 2016.

In December 2024, there were 1,123 fewer full time equivalent (FTE) fully qualified general practitioners (GPs) than in December 2016.

We are starting to see consistent growth in the fully qualified GP workforce, with headcount numbers of fully qualified GPs increasing for the past 18 months and full time equivalent numbers increasing for 16 out of the past 18 months. As of December 2024, there were 1,982 more FTE doctors working at practice level compared to December 2023.

We have committed to training more GPs across the country and to recruiting over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25. My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has confirmed that recently qualified GPs who are employed via the ARRS will continue to be supported through the scheme in 2025/26.

In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, and treat patients on time again.

Our commitment to growing the GP workforce includes addressing the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encouraging them to return to practice. We know that high workloads can be a key driver for GPs reducing their contracted hours or leaving the profession altogether. That is why we are tackling morale through drivers such as growing the workforce and reducing bureaucracy through our Red Tape Challenge to improve job satisfaction and reduce the risk of burnout.