The number of GPs earning at least £200,000 doubles in 12 months while some pocket more than £500,000
- NHS figures show almost 8,000 GPs in England were paid more than £100,000
- READ MORE: Huge surge in patients avoiding NHS in bid to bypass lengthy queues as GPs say they are ‘happy’ to be asked for referrals
Record numbers of GPs are earning six-figure pay – and those taking home at least £200,000 have more than doubled in a year, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
Almost 8,000 in England were paid more than £100,000, according to latest NHS figures up to April 2021. The number earning above £200,000 soared to 631 – up from 265 in the previous year.
Seven made more than £500,000 a year, with one on over £700,000.
The figures, from the NHS Business Services Authority following Freedom of Information requests, come as many patients find it hard to make same-day appointments, and almost half of consultations are now done over the phone.
Almost 8,000 GPs in England were paid more than £100,000, according to latest NHS figures up to April 2021
The figures come as many patients find it hard to make same-day appointments
John O’Connell, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said it seemed ‘difficult to justify when patients struggle to get an appointment’.
Experts believe the rise in big earners is driven in part by the growth of chains of surgeries at the expense of small family GPs. The figures also highlight the gulf between partner GPs, who part-own a surgery, and salaried GPs.
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was ‘minded to phase out’ GP partners, calling it ‘a murky business’. But the British Medical Association said the figures ‘reflect the earnings of doctors who played a leading role in the pandemic response’.
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