GP numbers in Dorset have fallen since the pandemic

NHS England figures show there were the equivalent of 484 full-time GPs in the NHS Dorset CCG area at the end of May. 

This was down from 502 in June 2021 – the most easily comparable figures from last year. 

Image from PA

Of them, 280 were partners, 114 were salaried GPs and 68 were in training. 

There were also 10 regular locum GPs, and 12 GPs on retainer. 

Louise Bate, Healthwatch Dorset manager, said: “Access to your GP is a crucial service and most people’s first point of call.  

Read more: Dorset GP surgery rankings across key patient survey areas

“But we’re hearing from local people who can’t get an appointment with their GP and face long waits to get through to their surgery on the phone.  

“Fewer GPs across Dorset is having a real impact and poor access to GP services drives people to contact NHS 111 and use local urgent treatment centres or A&E.”  

A spokesperson for NHS Dorset said: "There is currently a national shortage of GPs. The impact of the pandemic has led to GPs leaving general practice and data may show a reduction in GP workforce in Dorset the last year.

"Many initiatives have been put in place across Dorset to support and offer more diverse opportunities to GPs ultimately improving retention."

The figures also show Dorset has the oldest GP workforce in the country, wiith just three per cent under the age of 30. 

Read more: GPs carry out nearly half a million appointments in a month in Dorset

The government has promised to recruit 6,000 extra GPs by 2024, but the Health Foundation says it is unlikely to do achieve this. 

Anita Charlesworth, director of research at the Health Foundation and part of the REAL Centre, said: “It’s sobering that over the next decade things are set to get worse, not better. 

“General practice is vital for a high quality and efficient health system, but the pressures it faces are longstanding, significant, and growing.” 

Read more: GP patient survey reveals Dorset's best and worst practices

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We are hugely grateful to GPs and their staff for the care they provide to patients and we are working hard to support and grow the workforce in order to bust the Covid backlogs. 

“We have invested £520 million to expand GP capacity during the pandemic, on top of £1.5 billion until 2024 and we are making 4,000 training places available for GPs each year to help create an extra 50 million appointments a year.”