GP Employment

December 2025

We are hearing concerns from GPs that they can’t find appropriate roles or sufficient hours. Following a motion raised by our GP Registrar and First5 Committees, RCGP Council tasked the College with establishing a UK-wide Task and Finish Group in early 2025 to gather evidence on the challenges members face in finding work and to mobilise the profession to campaign for solutions. 

Evidence gathering on GP employment concerns

We carried out three surveys during the summer of 2025: the RCGP GP Voice 2025 survey, a survey of practice managers, and a survey of international GPs conducted jointly by the RCGP and BMA GP registrar groups. The results of these surveys and analysis of available relevant NHS data revealed consistent evidence that there is significant unmet patient need, that many GPs want to work more sessions, and that job-seeking GPs report struggling to find suitable vacancies – mainly because available roles are not in the areas where they want to work, and a considerable number say they can’t find jobs with enough sessions. At the same time, many practice managers told us they want to employ more GPs to meet rising patient demand but are unable to do so because of funding constraints.

Policy research report

We published our evidence in a report on 17 November, with the following key findings:

  • 61% of practice managers said they needed to recruit more GPs but a lack of funding was a major barrier in preventing them from doing so.
  • Over one in four GPs said that they had been looking for work this year and struggled to find a suitable vacancy.
  • 29% of the GPs who struggled to find work couldn’t find a role that offered enough sessions. 
  • 66% of final year GP registrars (ST3s) who had looked for work found it difficult to find a suitable role.

The GP workforce gap: Survey evidence on GP employment (PDF file, 283 kB)

Key recommendations

  • The forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan (10YWP) in England must make specific reference to the need to increase funding for general practice to ensure that practices have the resources to recruit enough GPs to meet patient need. 
  • The Government should introduce a primary care / general practice investment standard so that Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) must report locally on the share of funding going to primary care and general practice, and the Secretary of State must report to Parliament each year on the national share. 
  • The next GP contract should contain a significant rise in ring-fenced funding to enable practices to employ the number of practice-based GPs that they need to care for their patients.
  • The Government should use the review of the ‘earned settlement’ route to allow international GPs to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain once they have completed UK GP training. More information on International Medical Graduates and visas can be found here.
  • Until a full solution is delivered, the Government should create an overarching umbrella body to act as sponsor for all GPs who need visas or provide funding to practices to sponsor visas.
  • The Government should invest in upgrading general practice premises to provide adequate space for patients, trainees and multidisciplinary teams. This must anticipate the move towards neighbourhood hubs and integrated care, ensuring shared facilities are fit for purpose while maintaining the capacity of individual practices to train and deliver care effectively. 

Read more about our IMG visa work

Campaigning on workforce issues: letter to the Secretary of State

Alongside this report, we launched a campaign to urge decision-makers to take urgent action to support practices to employ more GPs for more sessions – at a time when patients are crying out to see a doctor.

In November 2025, we sent a letter to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care signed by over 8000 GPs, calling for the 10YWP to include a clear roadmap to train, recruit and retain the GPs needed to deliver the care our patients deserve. 

We will be continuing to raise these concerns and seek action from Government as part of the development of the 10YWP and beyond.

Media coverage

An article in the Guardian highlighted our findings; namely practices’ lack of core funding, meaning that they can’t recruit more GPs despite needing to do so.

Guidance for GPs seeking employment

For tips on finding jobs, creating a strong CV, and preparing for interviews to showcase skills and patient focus, RCGP has produced guidance.