Research shows each GP in Thurrock is responsible for over 2,700 patients
It's the fourth highest patient to doctor ratio in the country
Last updated 6th May 2022
Doctors in Thurrock are currently having to look after over 2700 patients each.
That's according to figures from the House of Commons which show the number of GPs nationally has reduced by more than 1000 in the last five years, whilst the number of patients has risen by over 3 million.
Dr Brian Balmer is the Chief Executive of the Essex Local Medical Committees, which represents around 1300 Essex GPs.
He says lots of doctors are leaving due to increasing strain: "We're not retaining people. The job has become so demanding and so complex that people are burning out or simply leaving for other reasons.
"We're seeing this in all age groups and both sexes, with a large number leaving practices before they're 40, which is terrible...
"They'll often say they're leaving because they can't give patients the care they want to or that they're seeing so many so quickly that they're not doing patients or the job justice.
"When that starts to happen your job satisfaction drops and your patients aren't very happy either."
He says the pressure and strain on GPs is affecting patients too: "If people are overworked and trying to see as many people as possible, I have no doubt that the quality drops."
Dr Balmer anticipates the issue may get worse before improving: "I I fear in the next six to twelve months it may get worse before it stabilises, although I do think it will stabilise.
"We have concerns that with the panic stage of the pandemic finished, GPs may say, 'I've done the pandemic, that's enough' and there could be a bit of a surge of retirement.
"Once things get more back to normal, which for most practices has not yet happened, as patients have probably noticed, hopefully the numbers will start to improve."
Dr Balmer explains Essex is also being significantly impacted by GP shortages because of the location: "It's not that Essex is a bad place. It's just, geographically, for jobs like this, we are challenged because we have London on one side, Cambridge on the other.
"For years we've been doing lots of training of new and student doctors, but they've then gone back to London or Cambridge or somewhere else."
He explains they're now working on retaining these trainees, to prevent a so-called 'brain drain' of doctors in the county: "Now that we've got a medical school at ARU in Chelmsford, we're hoping that will make a difference. We can train doctors who will be Essex doctors and treat Essex patients."