Single handed GPs earn more

Released 03/03/2010

GP earnings report released

Contractor GPs working in ‘single-handed' practices earned on average £124,185 before tax in 2007/08 - an average of £20,815 more than those in practices with six or more GPs, says a report out today from The NHS Information Centre.

The report shows that in general GPs' average income before tax decreased as the number of GPs in their practices increased. On average, contractor GPs working single-handedly earned the most and this was £20,815 more than contractor GPs working in a practice with six or more GPs who earned an average of £103,370 before tax.

The report presents final results of the GP Earnings and Expenses 2007/08 Enquiry and has been agreed by the Technical Steering Committee which includes representatives from the four UK health departments, NHS Employers and the British Medical Association. The provisional results were published in September 2009 and showed average GP income before tax was slightly lower in 2007/08 than 2006/07.

Because it reflects earnings reported on tax returns, the report includes private as well as NHS work and covers both full and part-time GPs.

The report also shows contractor GPs in rural areas of the UK earn on average £113,570 before tax - around £9,000 more than average contractor GPs in urban areas.

This can partly be explained by the fact that 55.8 per cent of GPs whose practice is categorised as rural work in dispensing practices while only 6.4 per cent of GPs whose practice is categorised as urban work in dispensing practices. Rural GPs working in a dispensing practice have an average income before tax of £128,727, compared to £118,028 for urban GPs in a dispensing practice; while rural GPs in non-dispensing practices earn £94,424 on average, compared to £103,516 for urban GPs in non-dispensing practices.

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