Another report has confirmed what GPs already know: average GP income is falling because the costs of running a practice keep rising.
The Health and Social Care Information Centre’s GP Earnings and Expenses 2012/13 Report* shows that:
- Average expenses for contractor GPs leapt 2.9% between 2011/12 and 2012/13: an increase of £3,000 in real terms
- As a result, GPs’ pre-tax income fell by an average of £2,100 in real terms, from £104,100 to £102,000
- Income declined even as average gross earnings increased by £1000, from £270,800 to £271,800.
The increase in expenses was mainly down to premises and employee costs. And the expenses figures don’t even include the cost of GPs’ pensions!
It’s all part of a decade-long trend of squeezed margins for GP practices.
