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NHS England says almost 90% of GPs work part time in response to Pulse survey

NHS England has highlighted that almost nine in 10 salaried GPs now work part time, in its official response to Pulse’s workload survey.

The survey results, published today, found that GPs were breaching safe working limits due to high workload and lack of GPs. A total of 52% of GPs who responded to the snapshot survey on Monday 11 February said they did not feel they were working at a safe level that day. 

In response, an NHS England spokesperson said: ‘We know general practice is under pressure. Investment in local doctors and community services is increasing by £4.5bn, helping to fund an army of 20,000 more staff to support GP practices as part of the NHS long-term plan.

‘We are also aware almost 9 out of 10 salaried GPs currently work part time.’

Figures from NHS Digital for September 2018 show that 73% of salaried GPs work between 15 and 37.5 hours a week, and a further 14.6% work less than 15 hours a week.

A report in March concluded the NHS will have 7,000 fewer full-time-equivalent GPs than needed within five years. In February, it was revealed that the number of full-time equivalent GPs had fallen by 2% in a year. 

Pulse’s workload survey also found that female GPs were more likely to work beyond scheduled hours than male GPs, while partners tend to work the longest hours.