In a concerning development for Somerset's healthcare landscape, the number of fully trained General Practitioners (GPs) has seen a reduction, despite the government's ambitious pledge to bolster GP numbers across England.

According to the latest figures, Somerset witnessed a slight decrease in its count of full-time-equivalent, fully trained GPs, from 285 in the previous year to 283 in November.

This downward trend emerges in the wake of the government's 2019 manifesto commitment to recruit an additional 6,000 GPs by 2025, aiming to counteract the gradual decline in GP numbers since 2015.

However, the British Medical Association (BMA), a leading trade union for doctors, has labeled the GP workforce situation as a "crisis," criticizing the government's strategy of employing thousands of non-GP staff as a cost-effective substitute.

Nationally, the count of fully trained GPs in England marginally increased from 27,392 last November to 27,483 this November.

Nonetheless, this figure marks a significant drop from September 2015's total of 29,364, indicating a loss of nearly 1,900 fully trained GPs over eight years.

Dr Julius Parker, deputy chair of the BMA's GP Committee for England, said: "There are no two ways about it, we are in the midst of a GP workforce crisis.

"We are having to do more work with fewer resources and are being stretched to the limit, leaving patients frustrated that they cannot always access the care they need."

Dr Parker said people living longer means more GPs are needed to "provide the level of care that people deserve and we want to deliver", but accused the Government of recruiting cheaper non-GP staff as an alternative.

He added: "The Government must prioritise GP recruitment and retention, otherwise the NHS will continue to haemorrhage doctors, putting patient care and safety at risk."

Including the 9,825 GPs in the training grade, who are not yet fully qualified, as of November, the total number of GPs in England has risen by 1.8% in the last year to 37,308.

This is also above the 34,519 GPs registered in December 2019, when the Government announced its recruitment drive.

However, the number of practice staff excluding GPs has risen by 2.6% in the last year, outstripping GP recruitment.

In Somerset, there were 381 full-time-equivalent doctors – up from 375 the year before and in December 2019.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "There are more than 2,600 additional doctors and 34,000 extra staff in general practice, compared to 2019. Last year also saw the highest-ever number of doctors accepting a place on GP training.

"We have reached our target of 50 million additional general practice appointments several months ahead of schedule – that is equivalent to 43 additional appointments per practice per working day.

"Through our Primary Care Recovery Plan and Long Term Workforce Plan, we will continue to invest in our primary care workforce."