Balance between GP and hospital doctor numbers may need to shift, says new NHS chief

Workforce numbers among general practitioners have not risen as quickly as those of hospital consultants despite a shift in the NHS to provide more care outside hospitals, the new head of the NHS in England has said.

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, who appeared before MPs on the parliamentary health select committee on 29 April, said that he intended to deal with the issue of GP workforce shortages soon. He also said that he expected health spending to rise between now and 2021 as long as the United Kingdom’s economy grew in that time.

As part of their inquiry into the work of NHS England, MPs asked about workforce issues in primary care. …