New data has shown that some over-subscribed Chesterfield and north Derbyshire surgeries have more than 5,000 patients for every full-time equivalent GP – significantly more than the nationwide average of 1,719.
Professor Martin Marshall, who chairs the Royal College of GPs, said that GP shortages need to be addressed to ensure that patients receive the care they require.
“GPs want to be able to consistently give their patients the personalised care they deserve, no matter where they live in the country. But the increased workload expected of GPs and their teams, coupled with the chronic shortage of GPs, is unsustainable.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “Each General Practice is required to provide services to meet the reasonable needs of its patients. There is no government recommendation for how many patients should be assigned to a GP, as the demands each patient places on their GP are different and can be affected by many different factors – including rurality and patient demographics.”
These are 17 of the busiest surgeries in Chesterfield and north Derbyshire – ranked according to the most registered patients per GP.
The figures include trainee GPs and locums – and many surgeries will also have other staff treating patients, such as nurses, physiotherapists and midwives. Sometimes, a surgery might appear to have a low number of GPs because they share staff with a neighbouring practice, or they may have been in the process of recruiting when they supplied their staffing figures to the NHS.
![Royal Primary Care Chesterfield West is the busiest surgery in the area. It has 13,427 registered patients and just 2.3 full-time equivalent GPs - meaning a total of 5,855 patients per GP.](https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjQzYjg1YmFhLTI4ZWEtNDQ4MC1iOTZjLWY3ZTc1NWJmOWVhMTo5OTkyOTdkMy0xZjg1LTRkMzktYWZiYS03OGZlNGViMjExZmI=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
1. Royal Primary Care Chesterfield West, Chesterfield
Royal Primary Care Chesterfield West is the busiest surgery in the area. It has 13,427 registered patients and just 2.3 full-time equivalent GPs - meaning a total of 5,855 patients per GP. Photo: Google
![The Clay Cross Medical Centre is the second busiest surgery in the area. It has 6,391 patients and 1.2 full-time equivalent GPs - leaving a total of 5,447 patients per GP.](https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjA3Y2FlNzlmLTYxOTUtNGMyZi04NWUzLTdmMDJiODVlMTJiNDpjOGJmZmVkOC02NzhhLTQ5YmItYmJmYi00MTY2ODMxOGY4ZGI=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
2. Clay Cross Medical Centre, Clay Cross
The Clay Cross Medical Centre is the second busiest surgery in the area. It has 6,391 patients and 1.2 full-time equivalent GPs - leaving a total of 5,447 patients per GP. Photo: Google
![Royal Primary Care Clay Cross was ranked as the third busiest surgery in the region. It has 9,651 registered patients and 2.3 full-time equivalent GPs - leaving a total of 4,283 patients per GP.](https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjQzYjljZTlmLWVmZTktNGU1YS1iY2FkLWQ4ZTNkNDMzZTU5YTpiYWI0ZmUxOC1mZDhlLTRkZDItYjRjNi00MGUyY2FmNGE4MDk=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
3. Royal Primary Care, Clay Cross
Royal Primary Care Clay Cross was ranked as the third busiest surgery in the region. It has 9,651 registered patients and 2.3 full-time equivalent GPs - leaving a total of 4,283 patients per GP. Photo: Google
![The Village Surgery was ranked as the fourth busiest surgery in the area. It has 9,420 registered patients and 2.7 full-time equivalent GPs - leaving a total of 3,532 patients per GP.](https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmQ2YmMyN2IwLWQ2NjMtNDE3MC1iMTdhLWRjOTI2MDFiMWVhYjoyOTZlNzE0OC1kOWNkLTQ1NWItOTRjOS1kZWUwYjFmOTllOWE=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
4. The Village Surgery, South Normanton
The Village Surgery was ranked as the fourth busiest surgery in the area. It has 9,420 registered patients and 2.7 full-time equivalent GPs - leaving a total of 3,532 patients per GP. Photo: Google