GP study shows ‘gravity of crisis’ as chemists close in North Yorkshire ‘pharmacy desert’

Experts found the number of GP practices in England has dropped by a fifth over the last decade at the same time as more patients join surgery lists.

And while the number of staff working in GP surgeries has risen during this period – such as administrators and non-doctor roles – the number of GPs per 1,000 patients has fallen.

The GP study was carried out by academics at University College London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

They found the number of people registered with an NHS GP practice in England grew by 11 per cent from 56,042,361 to 62,418,295 between 2013 and 2023.

Meanwhile, the total number of GP practices in England fell from 8,044 to 6,419 over the same period – a 20 per cent drop.

It comes as new figures from the National Pharmacy Association reveal that rural areas are at risk of becoming “pharmacy deserts”, following spate of chemist closures.

North Yorkshire is one of these areas and had just 14.5 pharmacies per 100,000 patients in the 2024-25 financial year, which puts it in the bottom 7 per cent of local authorities when it comes to pharmacy provision.

Rotherham had the highest number of pharmacies per population in the region at 23 per 100,000, while Westminster had the best provision in England at 39 per 100,000.

The previous government tried to use pharmacies to alleviate pressures on GPs and deal with minor ailments such as sinusitis, earaches and a sore throat.

However hundreds of community chemists have closed in the last five years, and NPA chief executive Paul Rees said “higher levels of pharmacy closures in deprived council areas, which have undermined government efforts to tackle health inequalities after the pandemic”.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon told the Yorkshire Post that the recent closure of Boots pharmacy in Jennyfield “has caused issues for many constituents” and he was “not surprised” by the problems.

The Lib Dem said: “It is astonishing that we are in this position. We need proper, lasting, investment in our health services.

“Whilst it is welcome that pharmacies are being tasked with taking up some of the issues brought to GPs, that only works when pharmacy provision is actually provided.”

Speaking about the GP crisis, Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “The findings of this study make it very clear that we need many more GPs – we need to recruit more, but crucially we need to retain more in the profession for longer, delivering patient car

“Whilst GP workload is escalating, both in volume and complexity, this is falling to a smaller number of GPs than we had five years ago.

“General practice is the bedrock of the NHS, and GPs train for at least 10 years to become experts in delivering whole-person medical care, managing complex health needs in the community, and alleviating pressures across the rest of the health service”

She added: “The new Government has recognised the importance of general practice and has announced positive short-term steps to address some current recruitment issues. But this study shows the gravity of the crisis in general practice.”

The new Health Secretary Wes Streeting made his first government visit to a GP surgery, where he promised to “reverse” general practice under funding.

Mr Streeting said: “Patients are finding it harder than ever to see a GP.

“Patients can’t get through the front door of the NHS, so they aren’t getting the timely care they need.

“That’s no surprise, when GPs and primary care has been receiving a smaller proportion of NHS resources. I’m committed to reversing that.”

Responding to the research, a government spokesman said: “The NHS is broken and these findings show how much general practice has been neglected, but this government will fix it by shifting the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community.

“We have also committed to hiring an extra 1,000 GPs into the NHS by the end of this year, have announced a pay rise for GPs and practice staff and will ensure practices have the resources they need to offer patients the highest quality care and meet increased patient demand.”