The NHS GP Shortage and Crisis: Medicine Hot Topics & Interview Questions

You will need to provide some examples of hot topics you can apply during your medical school interviews. Here you will learn everything you need to know about the NHS GP shortage.

This includes the ethical implications and some example medicine interview questions and model answers for you to look at.

Combine your reading here with medicine interview tutoring to boost your answers and delivery.

NHS GP Shortage 2026: A Summary for Medical Interviews

1. GPs, or general practitioners, are primary care physicians who see a variety of patients with acute presentations and chronic conditions
2. The number of fully-qualified, full-time-equivalent (FTE) GPs has barely grown since 2015, while patient demand has risen sharply: as of early 2026 there are roughly 2,200 patients per FTE GP in England, up around 12% since 2016. England is widely estimated to be several thousand fully-qualified GPs short of what is needed to meet demand safely.
3. The crisis now has a striking paradox at its heart. The number of doctors completing GP training rose around 49% between 2015 and 2024 (from roughly 2,750 to about 4,090 a year), yet many newly-qualified GPs cannot find substantive NHS jobs. A 2024 BMA survey found that 56% of GPs wanting more NHS hours could not find them and around 15% could not find any GP work at all, even as patients struggle to get appointments.
4. The GP shortage is making it harder for patients to get primary care appointments, and damaging their perceptions of the NHS
5. Key factors to consider in resolving the GP shortage are improving working conditions, ensuring that salaries are competitive with other specialities, and sharing the workload with other healthcare practitioners where possible.

👉🏻 Read more: MMI Medicine Interview Tips Guide

What do I Need to Know About the UK NHS GP Shortage for Medical School Interviews?

What is the role of a GP in the NHS?

A general practitioner is a primary care physician who works out of a medical practice rather than a hospital. Everyone in the UK should be registered with a GP practice, which in turn is responsible for the overall health of the population within their catchment area.

GPs may see patients with acute presentations - such as new shortness-of-breath or chest pain, as well as those with long-term health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.

When a patient is seen with an acute presentation, a GP may decide to manage them with a prescription for some medication; a referral to another healthcare practitioner such as a physiotherapist; a referral to a secondary care specialist such as a rheumatologist; some investigations such as blood tests and scans; by calling 999 in case of an emergency; or more. Sometimes, GPs may have to deal with emergencies in the practice.

GPs also manage patients with ongoing chronic conditions, conducting reviews of medication and multimorbidity. There is an increasing number of psychiatric patients seen in general practice with conditions such as anxiety and depression.

GPs may conduct appointments in person or over the phone as telemedicine appointments.

👉🏻 Read more: NHS Questions at the Medicine Interview

Why is there a GP shortage in the NHS in 2026?

Why are newly-qualified GPs unemployed when patients cannot get appointments?

This is the question that surprises most applicants, and naming the paradox in an interview shows real insight. The number of doctors finishing GP training has risen by roughly half since 2015, yet practice-level GP job adverts fell by around 45% between 2022 and 2025. The shortage is therefore not a simple lack of doctors: it is a mismatch between the GPs we have trained and the funded, permanent jobs available for them to do.

The main driver is funding and structure. Practices are paid mostly through a fixed contract sum and could not, until recently, claim reimbursement for employing GPs, whereas they could get other roles funded for free. So when money is tight, a practice that genuinely needs more clinicians may still be unable to afford a salaried GP. The decline of the partnership model adds to this: fewer doctors want the financial and managerial risk of becoming a partner, which is the route that traditionally created GP posts.

In my experience as a GP, this is exactly the kind of nuance that separates a strong interview answer from a generic one. Anyone can say there are not enough GPs. Showing that you understand we are simultaneously training more GPs and failing to employ them, because of how primary care is funded, demonstrates that you read around the topic and think critically about the system, not just the headlines.

Is there a GP shortage in the UK?

Quite simply, more doctors are leaving general practice than entering it. This relates to both older GPs retiring at a faster rate than young doctors entering the speciality, and doctors being more likely to switch out of than into it during their careers.

There are a few key issues underlying this.

First, the way general practice is funded and structured has not kept up with demand. Most GP funding flows to practices through the contract's global sum rather than directly funding salaried posts, so when budgets are squeezed, practices cannot afford to hire the GPs who are available. The traditional partnership model is also in steep decline: as of 2025 there were around 29% fewer GP partners (FTE) than in 2015, with partners under 40 down by more than 60%. Pay matters too: salaried GPs are generally paid less than hospital consultants, and the bottom of the salaried GP scale (around £73,000 in 2025/26) sits well below the consultant scale.

Second, working conditions for GPs are often poor. There is an extremely high workload, with GPs having to see patients in appointments of just 10 minutes. It can be challenging to take a history, examine a patient, discuss possible diagnoses, and arrange appropriate follow-up within that timeframe. Additionally, lots of time is spent on admin work and work that GPs describe as “unimportant tasks”.

The shortage also drives a vicious cycle. As GPs cut their hours, retire early or burn out, the remaining GPs carry a heavier load: the average list size per FTE GP has risen by more than 10% since 2016 to around 2,200 patients. Heavier workload fuels stress and burnout, which pushes more GPs to leave or reduce their hours, worsening the shortage further. International medical graduates now make up a large and growing share of the GP workforce, but many report feeling under-supported, which affects retention.

How is the NHS GP crisis affecting patient care?

General practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in delivering primary care to patients across the UK. However, with the ongoing GP shortage, many individuals face difficulties in accessing timely and appropriate care for their health concerns.

This can lead to prolonged suffering and potentially exacerbate existing health issues. In some cases, patients may feel discouraged and stop trying to secure an appointment, which could result in delayed diagnoses of severe conditions, such as cancer. Late detection of such illnesses may adversely affect the patient's prognosis and treatment outcomes.

These problems are worse in the least affluent areas, where access to GPs is worse due to health inequalities. In Glasgow, for instance, male life expectancy in the Greater Govan area is just 65.4 years whereas it is 83 in the neighbouring area Pollokshields West.

👉🏻 Read more: Common NHS Hot Topics

Key Ethical and Social Issues Related to the GP Shortage

What are the solutions to the NHS GP shortage?

What did the 2024 GP dispute and the 2025/26 GP contract change?

In 2024 the BMA's GP committee in England entered a formal dispute with the government and launched collective action, the first such action by GPs in decades, in protest at years of declining real-terms funding and the unemployment paradox. Practices used safe-working limits and other measures to draw attention to underfunding rather than going on strike, since GPs are independent contractors rather than salaried NHS staff.

The dispute was largely resolved by the 2025/26 GP contract, which delivered a total funding uplift of close to £1 billion (around a 7% cash increase), with most of the money going into the core global sum. Crucially for the jobs paradox, the contract folded newly-qualified GPs into the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) and removed the cap on how many GPs a network could employ this way, so funding can now follow GPs into practices.

If you mention this in an interview, show balance. The deal eased the immediate crisis, but bodies such as the BMA and Nuffield Trust warn that ARRS GP posts are often fixed-term, paid at the bottom of the scale and spread across several practices, which can undermine continuity of care. A genuine fix, most analysts argue, needs longer-term reform of how general practice is funded and how GP careers are structured.

A variety of measures are needed to help to resolve the GP shortage. Some of these include addressing the underlying reasons for the shortage (as explained above), whilst others aim to alleviate the effects of it and buy time for the underlying issue to be solved. The Royal College of General Practitioners has published recommendations for the government on how to resolve this.

Some key ways to resolve the GP shortage include:

• Funding: It’s important to allocate more funds to both paying GPs, to ensure retention, and training them, to get more doctors into the profession.
• International GPs: Making it easier for foreign GPs to get visas to work in the UK by bringing the process in line with that for other types of doctors would allow us to fill GP posts without having to wait years for the effects of increasing training spots.
• Increasing the role of other healthcare practitioners: Other clinicians in a GP practice, such as practice nurses, are taking on more responsibilities and lessening GPs’ workload. However, GP nurses are also facing shortages.
• Keep pay protection: Pay protection ensures that doctors switching to GP from another speciality are paid the same throughout their training as they would have been in their previous post so that they aren’t put off switching jobs by a pay cut to training levels. In 2016, the government tried to scrap this rule but they were unsuccessful.

Charging for missed appointments has been floated by politicians in the past as a way to ease pressure on GPs. The BMA has consistently condemned such charges as a move that would disadvantage the poorest and most vulnerable patients and undermine the NHS principle of care that is free at the point of use. In an interview, you can use this as an example of a superficially appealing solution that conflicts with NHS values and is unlikely to fix the underlying funding and workforce problems.

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What does the GP shortage mean for public perceptions of the NHS?

GPs are often referred to as working on “the front lines of the NHS”. They are often the doctor whom a patient sees first with a particular presentation, and who a patient is likely to think of when asked to describe “their doctor”. Therefore, the GP shortage harms patients’ trust in the NHS.

Public satisfaction with general practice has fallen to record lows in recent years, driven largely by the difficulty of booking an appointment and the so-called "8am scramble". This matters for medical applicants because perceptions of access shape overall trust in the NHS, even though most patients still rate the care they eventually receive highly. The 2025/26 contract aimed to ease this by funding more online and same-day access.

How to Answer GP Shortage Interview Questions: Top Tips

You could get questions about any of the above topics, or the role of a GP more generally, in your medical school interviews. Some top tips to consider are:

1. GPs carry out an extremely important role with a lot of responsibility, and it’s good to recognise this.
2. The issue of the GP shortage is a complex one, with a lot of intermixed factors. Show off your understanding of what these factors are and how they combine.
3. Take a patient-centred approach to your answers, thinking about how patients feel when they cannot get an appointment and how this may impact their ongoing care and relationship with the NHS.
4. This is a good opportunity for you to demonstrate your understanding of health inequalities. You should discuss how and why the most vulnerable in society are most impacted by the GP shortage.

👉🏻 Read more: MMI Medicine Interview Tips Guide

Example Medicine Interview Questions and Answers on the GP Shortage

Q: Why do you think that there is a GP shortage in the UK right now?

A: The GP shortage in the UK is extremely significant right now, with a net loss of hundreds of general practitioners every year. Simply put, more doctors are leaving than entering general practice - however, there are a variety of more complex reasons underlying that.

First, the job of a GP is becoming increasingly challenging. Part of this is because the workload increases as fewer GPs are looking after the same number of patients, but part is because a lack of funding and challenging 10-minute appointment times make the job consistently stressful and hectic. Given the intense pressures of the role, it’s no surprise that it’s not appealing to new doctors - and can push out experienced clinicians.

Second, the job of a GP often seems worse than that of a hospital consultant - which is what many doctors will compare it to, as it’s the other most common career route for them to take. GPs simply aren’t paid as much as consultants, and whilst the hours are more sociable, for many doctors this just doesn’t make up for the pay gap.

Of course, there are also plenty of other important reasons - but I believe that I’ve outlined some of the crucial ones to consider.

👉🏼 Read More: Medicine Interview Questions Guide

Q: How do you think the GP shortage in the NHS impacts patient care, particularly for those with chronic conditions or those in underserved communities?

The GP shortage in the NHS significantly affects patient care, particularly for individuals with chronic conditions and those living in underserved communities. One of the primary consequences of the GP shortage is long waiting times for appointments, which can lead to delayed diagnoses and treatment. This delay can be especially detrimental for patients with chronic conditions, as timely monitoring and management of their health are crucial for maintaining their well-being and preventing complications.

Additionally, the GP shortage may cause increased pressure on the remaining GPs, resulting in shorter appointment times and a higher workload. This can potentially compromise the quality of care provided, as GPs might not have sufficient time to thoroughly assess each patient's condition and develop a comprehensive treatment plan.

Underserved communities are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the GP shortage. These areas often have a higher prevalence of chronic conditions and complex health needs, which require regular access to primary care services.

The lack of available GPs can exacerbate existing health inequalities, as patients in these communities may struggle to receive the necessary care and support. This can lead to a widening gap in health outcomes between affluent and underserved areas, further reinforcing existing social and economic disparities.

In summary, the GP shortage in the NHS has significant implications for patient care, particularly for those with chronic conditions and individuals in underserved communities. Addressing this issue is crucial to ensuring equitable access to healthcare and maintaining the overall quality of care within the NHS.

Practice GP Interview Questions on the Shortage (UK)

1. How can we address the lack of GPs in the UK right now?
2. What does a GP do on a daily basis?
3. What is a day in the life of an F1 doctor like?
4. How is the public impacted by the GP shortage?
5. How can we help to fix the shortage of GPs in the UK right now?
6. Do you support Rishi Sunak’s suggestion of a £10 charge for missed GP appointments? Why or why not?
7. Who in the UK is most affected by the GP shortage?
8. What do you understand about the term health inequalities and how it applies to general practice?
9. Aside from GPs, who else may work in a GP practice?
10. What does it mean to be a GP partner, and what are the pros and cons of this?

👉🏻 Read more: 280 Common Medicine Interview Questions

Conclusion

Overall, GP shortage questions can provide a valuable opportunity to reflect on the ethical challenges that can arise in medicine and to demonstrate your ability to think critically about these issues.

The shortage is not spread evenly. Areas with the greatest health need frequently have the fewest GPs per head, a pattern known as the inverse care law and part of the wider picture of health inequalities in the UK. Naming that law is a quick way to show you understand the distribution problem, not just the headcount problem.