A survey has found that GPs in the UK earnt on average £110,000 last year, a 9.8% increase from the year before.
The Information Centre figures suggest that GPs in England have experienced a 9.7% rise in average net profits after expenses, and those in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, a 8.2%, 9.6% and 11.6% rise respectively.
But the BMA has criticised the Information Centre’s survey saying it is out of date.
They say the survey does not take into account the two year period where there was no increase in basic practice resources.
So instead of an increase in pre-tax net profits, the BMA say GPs have had a pay cut due to meeting the rising costs of providing NHS general practice on a “standstill budget”.
Dr Lawrence Buckman, Chairman of the BMA’s GPs Committee said: “We know from a UK-wide GP survey that three quarters of GP principals expect income to go down this year.
“Family doctors are now being penalised for rising to the challenge of performance-related-pay for delivering the quality care the government asked for.”
Your comments: (Terms and conditions apply)
“No they are, as usual, thoroughly misleading. The BMA is quite right that there has been no increase for two years while our costs have continued to increase, often outstripping the cost of living. I think it would be prudent to speak to general practices and not PCTs. PCTs publish only that which they deem to be in their interest, and not necessarily the public interest” – Name and address supplied
“As usual, the government spins the results of surveys to produce the information for which it is seeking. It is the same with the recent national patient surveys” – Name and address supplied
“Where are these £110,000 GPs? Certainly not in Norfolk! This is the trouble with averages – one really high figures pushes everyone up. Any chance of knowing what the MEAN figure is?” – Name and address supplied
“When you compare this income to others in private industry it is not particularly high. I believe GPs earn every penny when you consider the years they have trained and the responsibilities they have to patients and their staff. And think of all the tax they pay – the government must surely be pleased that GPs do earn so much!” – Name and address supplied
“What is obviously not being taken into account are things like the rise in employers pension contributions (despite a small rise in £ per point in QOF for this) and other increases in expenditure – such as staff cost of living pay rises – not to mention any increments for those on relevant payscales. They should be looking at a profitability measurement to see that this is reducing. PCT’s have no idea – in my opinion – how much it costs to run a practice and appear to believe what they read in the papers!” – Name and address supplied
