The survey of 2,195 GPs conducted in 2021 found that 33% planned to abandon “immediate patient care” by 2026. The figure represents a return to levels last seen in 2015, when discontinuation plans peaked in 2018 when two out of five doctors wanted to stop seeing patients within five years. General practitioners said they were struggling with increasing workload, long hours, high demand from patients, insufficient time to feel they could do their job properly, bureaucracy and difficult patients. The average level of job satisfaction, measured between the high seven and the low one, decreased by 0.2 points from 4.5 in 2019 to 4.3 in 2021. General practitioners said they were particularly unhappy with the number of hours they had to work and lack of recognition for good performance. Professor Kath Checkland, who led the 11th semi-annual GP’s Career Survey at the University of Manchester, said: “It’s really not surprising that job satisfaction has declined among doctors during the pandemic. “The fact that 16% of GPs under the age of 50 are considering leaving their job is worrying and suggests that more work is still needed to ensure that the general practice is sustainable in the long run.” Rates were even higher among physicians over the age of 50, with nearly two-thirds (61%) planning to stop working with patients within five years. Nearly three-quarters (70%) said they planned to reduce their working hours in the coming years, as did 37.9% of doctors under the age of 50. However, more than half of the respondents (51%) said they were satisfied with their job as a whole and most were happy with their colleagues and their work environment. There was also a slight reduction in the number of part-time and full-time general practitioners working per week for the second consecutive survey, from 40 hours in 2019 to 38.4 hours in 2021. The survey, completed by 2,227 GPs, is used by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to inform the payroll body of doctors and dentists. The authors note that the research took place in the midst of a pandemic, when GPs were facing “unprecedented” changes, including long-term appointments, increased demand, critical media coverage and the obligation to wear personal protective equipment. Richard Van Mellaerts, executive director of the UK Medical Association’s GP committee, said: Extent of staff crisis faced by general practice. If these intentions are realized, this will represent a huge loss for the NHS and for patients with highly qualified and experienced physicians. “General practitioners and their teams have been exhausted by the pandemic, struggling with a toxic combination of escalating patient demand, at a time when the number of fully trained and full-time general practitioners has dropped significantly. “The number of GPs in England has been declining every year since the government first pledged to increase the GP workforce by 5,000, and this research shows that more could leave if the government does not take action.”
