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.
