How many GPs are there in the NHS?
Isabella Little
Updated on May 09, 2026
Correspondingly, how many NHS GPs are there in the UK?
In 2016 there were 54,024 licensed GPs in England and Scotland (excluding licensed GPs that are also on the specialist register).
One may also ask, are GPs part of the NHS? Over time, however, GPs and the primary care system they head has become embedded within the NHS. So despite being independent contractors, they were to all intents and purposes NHS employees. The GP or GP partners are contracted to the NHS to provide primary care services.
Moreover, how many GPs does the NHS want to train?
5,000 GPs
How many GPs are there in the UK?
In 2016 there were 7,613 practices in England, 958 in Scotland, 454 in Wales and 349 in Northern Ireland. There were 7435 practices in England and the average practice list size in June 2017 was 7,860.