May 13th 2025
One in five GPs in England plan to change their career because they can’t find any or enough work as a doctor.
In a BMA survey of more than 1,400 family doctors, a further 47 per cent said they would reconsider their work options, including to take clinical jobs outside of the NHS (43%), opportunities abroad (40%) and even leave healthcare (38%).
Rising running costs and underfunding in general practice have made it harder for practices to hire the staff they need. Available funding has also been diverted into non-GP roles such as the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), says the BMA.
In the first (2024) GP employment survey, four out of five locum GPs in England (84%) said they could not find work. This year’s survey shows that salaried positions are also hard to secure.
Dr Mark Steggles, chair of the BMA’s sessional GP committee, said: “Core funding needs to increase, and premises refurbished to accommodate the staff we need to keep up with patient demand."
In support of its campaign, the BMA has launched a Write to Your MP tool
