GP working time and supply, and patient demand in England in 2015–2022: a retrospective study | British Journal of General Practice

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Use of NHS Digital Data for GP hours
Stephen J. Taylor

Published on: 17 September 2024

Published on: (17 September 2024)
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Use of NHS Digital Data for GP hours
Stephen J. Taylor, General Practitioner, Doctors Association UK
The data used by NHS Digital underestimates the hours GPs work. Data collected relies on practice submissions and is often based on sessions GPs work. A session or half a day measured as 4 hours 10mins, so a GP doing 6 sessions would be recorded as 25 hours a week.

In reality GPs are working much longer hours per session, 5-6 hours being more normal. Demonstrated by PRUComm as one example.¹Also the recent publication by Hutchinson et al.²

So the conclusion that GP hours are working an average of 26 hours is an error based on using NHS Digital collections. This clearly needs improving in order to best demonstrate the needs and challenges of the GP workforce.

References

1. Policy Research Unit in Commissioning and the Healthcare System. Eleventh National GP Worklife Survey 2021. https://prucomm.ac.uk/assets/uploads/files/eleventh-gpwls-2021.pdf.

2. Hutchinson J, Gibson J, Kontopantelis E et al. Trends in full-time working in general practice: a repeated cross-sectional study. Br J Gen Pract 2024; Aug 5: BJGP.2023.0432. doi: 10.3399/BJGP.2023.0432. Epub ahead of print.

Competing Interests: None declared.

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