Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of GPs expected to retire by 2030; and whether the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan accounts for shortages in (a) the South East and (b) other regions.

No estimate has been made of the number of general practitioners (GPs) expected to retire by 2030. A GP's decision to retire can be influenced by many factors. Therefore, we do not have the data to make forecasts.

In May 2025, there were 691 more full time equivalent (FTE) GPs than in May 2024. Workforce shortages are greater in some, particularly deprived, areas.

In August 2024, we announced an £82 million in-year funding boost to allow recently qualified GPs to be hired through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, and have so far recruited over 1,900 GPs, exceeding our target of 1,000.

Through a 3% real terms growth in funding for the NHS over three years, we will train thousands more GPs and deliver millions more appointments.

We will publish a 10-Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. They will be more empowered, more flexible and more fulfilled.

The 10-Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.