Trends in GP incomes in England, 2008–2017: a retrospective analysis of repeated postal surveys

Background
There is widespread concern over the recruitment and retention of general practitioners in England. Income is a fundamental consideration affecting the attractiveness of working in general practice.
Aim
To report on trends in average incomes earned by general practitioners in England, adjusted for inflation and contracted time commitment.
Design and Setting
Postal surveys of random samples of general practitioners working in England in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2017.
Method
Trends in average reported incomes of partner and salaried GPs were directly standardised for the reported number of sessions worked per week and adjusted for inflation.
Results
Data were obtained from between 1,000 and 1,300 respondents each year, representing response rates between 25% and 44%. Almost all (96%) respondents reported the income they earned from their job as a GP. Mean nominal annual income decreased by 1.1% from £99,437 in 2008 to £98,373 in 2017 for partners and increased by 4.4% from £49,061 to £51,208 for salaried GPs. Mean sessions worked decreased from 7.7 to 7.0 per week for partner GPs and decreased from 5.6 to 5.3 per week for salaried GPs. Mean income adjusted for sessions worked and inflation decreased by 10.0% for partner GPs and by 7.0% for salaried GPs, between 2008 and 2017.
Conclusion
The decrease in general practitioner income adjusted for sessions worked and inflation over the last decade may have contributed to the current problems with recruitment and retention.