In May, the number of GPs increased by 3.2% over the year, ahead of changes in funding distribution to improve access to care for working-class communities and coastal areas.
NHS England has recently published a new statistical release on General Practice workforce, revealing 48,701 GPs in England in May 2025. This amounts to a total of 37,833 full time equivalent GPs.
Additionally, the number of full-time equivalent fully qualified GPs – all those not in training – was 28,250, an increase of 2.2%.
Direct Patient Care in General Practices registered an increase of 2.1% in the number of FTE staff, at 17,437. Amounting to a headcount of 23,324.
Conversely, the number of nurses and admin and non-clinical staff in GP surgeries decreased over the year, with 1.3% fewer FTE nurses and 0.1% fewer FTE admin/non-clinical staff in May 2025.
At Polimapper, we have visualised GP staff figures by Integrated Care Board, ahead of changes to GP staff funding in the NHS.
In May, the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board registered the highest number of FTE GPs, at 2,105. This was lowest in the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB, at 289 FTE GPs.
The Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board registered the highest estimated number of people per GP (6,896), whilst the Somerset ICB saw a rate of 359 people per GP*.
The highest number of FTE nurses and admin/non-clinical staff working in GP practices was seen in the NHS North East and North Cumbria Care Board, at 1,219 and 4,393 respectively. The ICB also saw the highest number of FTE Direct Patient Care staff. Explore statistics in your area below.
About this map
The map below shows the number of General Practice staff and of people per staff by Integrated Care Board in England.
To view statistics in your area double click on the map or click here to access the full page version.
Geodata context
Last Wednesday, the Department of Health and Social Care announced government plans to tackle inequalities in people’s health through fundamental reforms to the health system in working-class areas, as part of the 10 Year Health Plan.
This includes major changes to how GP funding is distributed, with the aim of reinvestment in staff, medicines and new technology and equipment.
Hugh Alderwick, director of policy at the Health Foundation: “General practices in poorer areas are under-doctored and under-funded compared to practices in richer areas, after accounting for differences in health needs – so reviewing general practice funding to make it fairer and reduce inequalities is a positive and welcome step.”
“The review should look at the range of funding sources going into general practice, how this money is best used, and the extra investment needed to avoid patients in some areas losing out. Making this happen will depend on additional funding going into general practice – not relying on heroic assumptions about improving efficiency in hospitals.”
“This is not the first time that general practice funding has been reviewed – the real test for government is whether they follow it up with the policy change and investment needed in response.”
Dr Becks Fisher, director of research and policy at Nuffield Trust: “The government has rightly recognised that tackling health inequalities will be impossible unless this is changed – and today’s announcement is a positive step.
“It’s good that the government recognises that they’ll need to make money available to realise these general practice reforms, but tight finances mean there may be some difficult decisions to weigh up. The government plans to pay for these changes by making savings in other parts of the NHS – but there is no guarantee this will be successful. Making good on today’s promises to deliver better general practice to deprived communities will mean the government has to go further than any of its predecessors and find funding to make these changes happen.”