There were more GPs working in north Cumbria this year, as new figures show the Government still failed to meet its recruitment target.

The Royal College of GPs warned “we are losing GPs faster than we are training new ones” and called on political parties to make further efforts to increase and retain the GP workforce.

Figures from the House of Commons Library based on NHS Digital data show 205 full-time-equivalent GPs were practising in the former NHS North Cumbria CCG area as of April. Of them, 147 were fully qualified, while the rest were still in training.

This was more than the same time the previous year, when 185 GPs were working in the area, and up on the levels in March 2019, when there were 198.

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In north Cumbria, each GP was responsible for around 1,636 patients in April – significantly down from 1,793 last year. Across the country, each GP had an average of 1,729 patients.

The number of full-time equivalent GPs across England saw an increase of 2.4 per cent since April 2023, with 37,237 as per the latest figures.