6. WORKFORCE
6.1.5 How many GPs (a) joined and (b) left
the NHS in each year from 1997? Please provide a breakdown of
their reasons for leaving. What is the total number of pension
awards in each year, expressed as a proportion of the total GP
workforce? (Q74)
Answer
1. The number of joiners and leavers in
the GP workforce is tracked as part of the NHS workforce census.
Information on the numbers of GPs that joined and left the NHS
in each year since 1997 is shown in table 74a.
2. In 2007 (the last year for which
figures are available), 2,018 practitioners (excluding GP
registrars and retainers) left the NHS in England. This equated
to 6.0% of the practitioner workforce. In the same year, 2,402 practitioners
joined the workforce. This equated to 7.2% of the workforce.
3. The information collected shows only
the numbers and proportion of leavers and joiners, the reason
for leaving is not collected.
4. The number of GP pension awards is shown
in table 74b, and the reasons for retirement are given
in table 74c.
Table 74a
GENERAL MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS (EXCLUDING
RETAINERS AND REGISTRARS) (1): ANALYSIS OF WORKFORCE AND FLOW
Headcount
|
| |
| 1997 | 1998
| 1999 | 2000
| 2001 | 2002
| 2003 | 2004
| 2005 | 2006
| 2007 | 2008
|
|
| GPs excluding registrars and retainers (1) |
| 28,046
| 28,251 | 28,467
| 28,593 | 28,802
| 29,202 | 30,358
| 31,523 | 32,738
| 33,091 | 33,364
| 34,010 |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
| of which: |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
| Joiners |
| .. | 1,536
| 1,484 | 1,408
| 1,737 | 2,112
| 2,647 | 2,930
| 2,864 | 2,721
| 2,402 | 2,170
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
| Leavers |
| 1,331 | 1,268
| 1,282 | 1,528
| 1,712 | 1,491
| 1,765 | 1,649
| 2,368 | 1,966
| 2,018 | ..
|
|
| Source: |
The NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care (General and Personal Medical Services Statistics)
|
| Footnotes: |
| 1. General medical practitioners (excluding retainers and registrars) includes GP providers and GP others.
|
| 2. The figures are arrived at by checking if a GPs General Medical Council (GMC) number appear in consecutive years of the NHS Workforce Census. For example, a joiner doctor whose GMC number was not observed in the 2003 census but as there in 2004, a leaver's GMC number was in 2003 but not 2004. These figures are therefore snapshots from two specific points in time and only represent the national position at these times. They do not cover movement in and out of the NHS between these two points, nor do they relate to the local level turnover of staff between NHS trusts.
|
| 3. ".." denotes data not available.
|
Table 74b
GP PENSION AWARDS
|
Pension awards
during year ending
31 March
| Total GP pension
awards (England and
Wales)
| Total GPs in year
ending 30 September
| Total number of GPs
(England and
Wales)
| Pension awards as a
percentage of total
GP population
|
|
| 1997 | 791
| 1997 | 29,825
| 2.65% |
| 1998 | 750
| 1998 | 30,029
| 2.50% |
| 1999 | 647
| 1999 | 30,259
| 2.14% |
| 2000 | 581
| 2000 | 30,388
| 1.91% |
| 2001 | 772
| 2001 | 30,609
| 2.52% |
| 2002 | 827
| 2002 | 31,010
| 2.67% |
| 2003 | 747
| 2003 | 32,180
| 2.32% |
| 2004 | 755
| 2004 | 33,339
| 2.26% |
| 2005 | 714
| 2005 | 34,587
| 2.06% |
| 2006 | 721
| 2006 | 34,973
| 2.06% |
| 2007 | 1,491
| 2007 | 35,300
| 4.22% |
| 2008 | 1,327
| 2008 | 35,950
| 3.69% |
| 2009 | 1,415
| 2009 | n/a
| n/a |
|
| Source: |
| Data on pension awards supplied by the NHS Pensions Division
|
| Data on English GP population extracted from the 2009 statistical bulletin for England produced by The NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care
|
| Data on Welsh GP population extracted from the 2009 statistical bulletin for Wales supplied by the Welsh Assembly Government
|
Table 74c
GP PENSION AWARDS BY DEFINITION
|
Pension awards
during year
ending 31 March
| Age | Ill health
| Deferred pension
benefits
| Unknown and
voluntary early
retirement
| Total pension
awards
|
|
| 1997 | 466 |
184 | 90
| 51 | 791
|
| 1998 | 452 |
171 | 77
| 50 | 750
|
| 1999 | 396 |
140 | 75
| 36 | 647
|
| 2000 | 334 |
142 | 67
| 38 | 581
|
| 2001 | 495 |
149 | 68
| 60 | 772
|
| 2002 | 468 |
174 | 97
| 88 | 827
|
| 2003 | 453 |
132 | 89
| 73 | 747
|
| 2004 | 443 |
119 | 54
| 139 | 755
|
| 2005 | 413 |
94 | 69
| 138 | 714
|
| 2006 | 438 |
74 | 51
| 158 | 721
|
| 2007 | 1,084
| 81 | 41
| 285 | 1,491
|
| 2008 | 965 |
95 | 19
| 248 | 1,327
|
| 2009 | 1,034
| 59 | 14
| 308 | 1,415
|
|
| Source: |
NHS Pensions Division
|
| Footnotes: |
| 1. The overall trend for GP pension awards shows a dramatic increase in the last two years, rising sharply from 721 (2.06% of total GP population) in 2006 to 1,491 (4.22% of total GP population) in 2007. Prior to 2006, the numbers were fairly constant, ranging from 581 (1.91% of total GP population) to 827 (2.67%).
|
| 2. The data shows that a greater proportion of GPs decided to retire from 2007 onwards. The number retiring by age in 2007 (1084 and 72.71% of total pension awards in that year) was more than twice that in 2006 (438 and 60.75% of total pension awards). In previous years the number had been fairly constant, ranging between 334 and 495.
|
| 3. Retirement on ill health grounds shows a decreasing trend from 184 (23.27% of total pension awards) in 1997 to 59 (4.17% of total pension awards) in 2009.
|
| 4. Deferred pension benefits show a decreasing trend from 90 (11.38% of total pension awards) in 1997 to 14 (0.99% of the total) in 2009. The number decreased steadily to 41 (2.75% of the total) in 2007 and then declined sharply to 19 (1.44% of the total) and 14 (0.99% of the total).
|
| 5. Unknown and voluntary early retirement has shown an increasing trend from 36 (5.57% of the total) in 1999 to 308 (21.77% of the total) in 2009. The numbers were fairly constant ranging from 5.57% to 9.78% of the total up to 2003, then showing a steep increase and nearly doubling from 73 (9.78% of the total) in 2003 to 139 (18.41% of the total) in 2004.
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