Much of the health secretary’s strategy to modernize the NHS depends on shifting care away from overstretched hospitals and into community-based “neighbourhood health centres” and GP practices. Yet despite Wes Streeting’s goal of improving access to family doctors, thousands of GPs have sharply reduced their working hours in recent years.
New NHS data shows that only one in 13 early-career GPs now work full-time. Excluding trainees and locums, the number of doctors working more than 37.5 hours a week fell to 7,480 in September—down from more than 11,000 in 2017. The trend is most pronounced among young and early middle-aged doctors: fewer than 8% of GPs aged 30–34 now work full-time, compared with 22% in March 2017. Similar declines have been seen in the 35–40 and 40–44 age groups.
Dozens of early-career GPs who contacted The Guardian said they were unwilling—or unable—to sustain full-time clinical hours on the NHS due to unmanageable stress, burnout, and overwhelming daily demands.
‘The Pace Was Unsustainable’: Why Young GPs Are Cutting Hours
Yasmin*, a 29-year-old GP in Leicestershire, said she realized even before finishing her training that the workload was beyond what she had anticipated.
“The pace was unsustainable for me,” she said. “You’re constantly running late, making decisions all day, and facing people’s anger about the service. It’s easy to feel resentful, like you want your life back from the thankless claws of the NHS.”
Although she is contracted for 16.5 hours across two days of clinical work, she estimates she regularly works closer to 22 hours due to unpaid overtime. She spends the rest of her week teaching GP residents. “I’m already at my limit,” she said.
Many GPs echoed this sentiment: while technically part-time, they are working far beyond contracted hours. Joe, 33, a Brighton GP, said a “full day” on paper lasts 8 hours 20 minutes—yet his surgery is open for 9.5 hours, and he seldom takes a lunch break.
“Add a few hours of paperwork and it becomes 11 or 12 hours a day. It’s extremely draining, and I’d burn out if I did this full-time,” he said.
A Surplus of Locum GPs—But Not Enough Jobs
While salaried GPs across age groups have cut their hours, many locum GPs say they are struggling to find work. Practices are hiring fewer locums due to budget constraints linked to recent NHS reforms.
Lucy-Jane, a Devon GP who completed her training in 2023, said job opportunities dried up just as she qualified. “I feel like I’m on the scrapheap,” she said. “People can’t believe I can’t get a job when everyone is desperate to see a GP.”
A recent BMJ study confirms the trend: although more GPs are being trained, proportionally fewer are working in NHS general practice. More than a third of licensed GPs—19,900—were not working in NHS general practice in 2024, up from 27% in 2015. Younger GPs, women, UK-qualified doctors, and those in London and the south-east are most likely to be outside the NHS system.
‘A Hostile Work Environment’: Experienced GPs Leaving or Going Part-Time
Some GPs said newer colleagues were emigrating soon after completing NHS-funded training. A 49-year-old GP partner from Somerset said three of her trainees had recently moved to Canada, citing better work-life balance abroad.
For many older GPs, the decision to reduce hours was driven by declining job satisfaction. Anne Mellor, 52, a GP partner from Doncaster, said she is planning to leave what was once her “dream job” and retrain as a coach or counsellor.
“Funding changes and the push to work within Primary Care Networks mean we are providing a worse service,” she said, adding that patients must now travel farther and often see unfamiliar clinicians rather than their own GP.
Some cited childcare pressures. Others mentioned cutting hours to qualify for the government’s free childcare offer—which requires reduced working days.
Tax Rules and Pension Incentives Driving Senior GPs Out of Full-Time Work
A common concern among experienced GPs was the financial penalties of continuing to work full-time, particularly around pension taxation. Andrew, 61, from Norfolk, reduced his schedule to three and a half days because the pension system allows him to earn more money while working less.
“My patients will have to wait longer to see me, and many prefer continuity of care,” he said.
Another GP, aged 51, said complex, multimorbid patients require experienced clinicians—yet tax incentives encourage senior GPs to cut their hours, weakening the system’s ability to cope.
“This is a gradual deterioration,” she said. “We need experienced clinicians to guide those who lack expertise, or the system will collapse further.”
NHS Response
Although individual GP working hours are falling, the total number of qualified GPs has risen, meaning total GP clinical hours have dropped by less than 1% overall.
An NHS spokesperson said:
“There are millions more general practice appointments than before the pandemic. Increasing the number of GPs remains a key priority to improve access to care.
“With nearly 1,300 more doctors added to general practice in the last year, offering greater flexibility—including portfolio careers—is helping retain staff and improve working lives while bringing additional skills into GP practices.”
