Four in five locum GPs in England unable to find work, BMA study finds

More than four in five locum GPs in England are unable to find work with a third forced to leave the NHS because they cannot make ends meet, a survey has found.

A survey of 1,852 locums, conducted by the British Medical Association (BMA), found that 84% cannot find work despite patients across the country waiting weeks for GP appointments.

The study also found that more than half are considering a career change owing to a lack of work, while a third (33%) have made definite plans to work in a different career away from the NHS.

Just under a third (31%) of respondents said that the lack of suitable shifts was leading them to leave the NHS entirely, while 71% said the government funding model was to blame for the levels of unemployment.

More than half of GP appointments are now conducted by non-GP practice staff as they are cheaper, which is leading to locums being unable to find work. The BMA say this is because of the government’s model of funding GP practices meaning that many are unable to hire family doctors through these funds.

A previous survey by the BMA also found that more than half of practices (54%) reported issues with cashflow which affected their day to day running, meaning that they were unable to afford locum cover.

Anna*, a locum GP from Dorset who has been working in the NHS for more than 25 years, said that she began to experience problems getting shifts in December 2023.

“I had a contract end in December of last year, and I then realised that there was very little work available so that I couldn’t choose where or when I worked, I had to take whatever was available,” she said.

Since then, she has had to take on other work, such as tutoring GCSE pupils, as to the lack of locum GP work meant she was struggling financially.

“It’s made me very sad and frustrated, I feel like I’ve lost my purpose,” Anna said. “But after nearly 30 years of service, I’ve been driven out of the NHS by a government scheme that blocks general practice from employing general practitioners – it’s maddening.”

She added: “All day when I find some work I hear from patients who say they want to see a GP, and I’m thinking that I am a GP, and I’m here, but I’m watching daytime TV while you’re at home worrying about your health. There is something not right there.”

Dr Mark Steggles, the BMA’s sessional GPs committee chair, said that the “shocking” results of the survey reveal the stress and worry locum GPs are experiencing by being unable to find enough work.

Steggles said: “As well as the stress and worry that causes them, when combined with the lack of NHS salaried and partnership opportunities it leaves us in the ridiculous situation where so many patients are being denied the chance to see a GP, even though we have GPs wanting to work and care for them.”

He added: “On the one hand, we have thousands of GPs in England desperate to work more, but being driven into careers outside the NHS. On the other hand, patients in pain, needing care, are waiting recordbreaking periods of time to see a GP.

“It’s difficult to comprehend how the NHS – a health service once world-renowned – has reached this point where thousands of highly skilled doctors are unable to find suitable work within it and patients are suffering as a result.”

Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, BMA England’s GPs committee chair, said that the government’s funding model for general practices was “ridiculous” and leading to many being unable to fund GPs despite demand.

“We have made it clear to the government that this needs to change so we can have more GPs working in local practices,” Bramall-Stainer said.

“We’re hearing lots of pre-election promises about increasing GP numbers, but the first challenge for the next government will be to find a way to keep the GPs we already have in the NHS. To run a bath, you first must put in the plug; this is basic workforce planning.”

*Name has been changed