We have been producing Official Statistics using the workforce Minimum Data Set (wMDS) since September 2015. Prior to that, general practice workforce statistics were produced annually based upon a different data set and are not comparable to wMDS-based figures. However, publications of workforce statistics prior to September 2015 remain available from https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-services for reference.
In June 2021, following a stakeholder consultation, we introduced some significant methodological changes and revised the entire wMDS-based time series back to September 2015. Please refer to the Methodological Change Notice (https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/find-data-and-publications/statement-of-administrative-sources/methodological-changes#workforce) for more information. At that stage, we moved the superseded releases to this archive.
Following user and stakeholder consultations, during 2018 and 2019 we made a range of revisions to our data processing and estimations methodologies, introduced a new data source for GP Registrars and revised the September 2015 to December 2016 full-time equivalent (FTE) GP locum estimates. More information about these changes is available in the publication for September 2019 listed below. As a result of the methodological changes, figures in the archived publications are not necessarily comparable with one another.
We advise you to use the revised figures available from https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-services to understand the general practice workforce and disregard the original figures, although they are available from the links below for transparency purposes.