Average GP earnings relatively static for a second year at £105,700, NHS Information Centre report shows

Income before tax for UK GPs remained almost static in 2009/10 compared to the previous year, an NHS Information Centre report shows.

Regional information available to SHA level

Contractor GPs (who form the majority of the GP workforce) earned an average income before tax of £105,700 in 2009/10, according to today’s report; GP Earnings and Expenses 2009/10. The average income before tax was £105,300 in 2008/09 and £106,100 in 2007/08; down from a peak of £110,000 in 2005/06.

The report considers the earnings and expenses of full and part-time GPs and covers both their NHS and private income.

It also estimates that almost 41 per cent (13,410) of GPs earned at least £50,000 but less than £100,000 in 2009/10, while just below 40 per cent (13,180) earned at least £100,000 but less than £150,000. Nearly 10 per cent (3,280) earned at least £150,000 but less than £200,000. This is similar to 2008/09.

At either end of the spectrum; 6.9 per cent of contractor GPs (2,280; compared to 2,310 in 2008/09 and 2,320 in 2007/08) earned less than £50,000, while 2.7 per cent (890; compared to 950 or 2.8 per cent in 2008/09 and 910 or 2.7 per cent in 2007/08) earned at least £200,000.

In the different UK countries, contractor GPs earned on average the following before tax in 2009/10:

• £109,400 in England; compared to £109,600 in 2008/09 and £110,100 in 2007/08.
• £89,500 in Scotland; compared to £86,500 in 2008/09 and £87,400 in 2007/08.
• £93,500 in Wales; compared to £90,700 in 2008/09 and £93,400 in 2007/08.
• £91,400 in Northern Ireland; compared to £89,700 in 2008/09 and £91,100 in 2007/08.

For salaried GPs, the UK average income before tax in 2009/10 was £58,000, compared to £57,300 in 2008/09 and £55,800 in 2007/08.

The report has been agreed by the Technical Steering Committee which includes representatives from the four UK health departments, NHS Employers and the British Medical Association. It also provides information by contract type, practice size, Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and rurality.

NHS Information Centre chief executive Tim Straughan said: “Our report shows that, on average, a GP working in the UK earned roughly the same pay before tax in 2009/10 as they did in the previous year.

”If we consider GP earnings over time; the average pay for a contractor GP at present is a decrease on the peak of £110,000 in 2005/06”

The full report is at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/gpearnex0910

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The NHS Information Centre is England’s authoritative, independent source of health and social care information. It works with a wide range of health and social care providers nationwide to provide the facts and figures that help the NHS and social services run effectively. Its role is to collect data, analyse it and convert it into useful information which helps providers improve their services and supports academics, researchers, regulators and policymakers in their work. The NHS Information Centre also produces a wide range of statistical publications each year across a number of areas including: primary care, health and lifestyles, screening, hospital care, population and geography, social care and workforce and pay statistics.
2. The data source for the survey is HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) tax self assessment database, which covers earnings and expenses from all self-employed professional earnings sources for contractor GPs and self employed and employed professional earnings sources for salaried GPs.
3.  The results in the report are estimates based on samples, and therefore each figure has a small margin of error. Differences between groups and sub-groups of GPs, or between 2009/10 and the previous years may reflect sampling error as well as real changes.
4. The report contains information on contractor GPs – i.e. GP partners – who form the majority of the workforce. The results for contractor GPs have been adjusted to exclude employer's superannuation contributions. The report also contains results for salaried GPs, which have been adjusted to include employee's superannuation contributions, thereby putting results for contractor and salaried GPs on the same basis.
5. GP employment definitions: A contractor GP, previously referred to as a principal GP, is a practitioner who has entered into a contract with a Primary Care Organisation (PCO) to provide primary care services. This may be as a single-hander, or as part of a partnership. A contractor GP may employ salaried GPs. A salaried GP is employed by the contractor GP(s) of a practice; they may also be employed by the Primary Care Organisation (PCO). The cost of employing a salaried GP could form part of the employee expenses of contractor GPs. If the salaried GP is employed directly by a PCO then the ‘employer' GP's tax return will not have included the expense.
6. For media enquires please call 0845 257 6990 or email mediaenquiries@ic.nhs.uk

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