General Practice (GP) healthcare in the UK operates in a unique context. While GP practices are independent businesses, most are publicly funded through NHS contracts.
The past decade has been marked by sustained turbulence for the UK GP sector. Amid growing political pressure to curb NHS spending, general practice has increasingly been sidelined, with its share of NHS funding falling to an eight-year low in 2024.
While demand for GP appointments has continued to rise, workforce growth has failed to keep pace. The number of qualified and trainee GPs has stagnated since 2015, and the number of GP partners leading practices has declined sharply, compounding pressures across the sector.
This report provides a financial snapshot of general practice as it stands in 2024/25. The analysis draws on IBISWorld’s detailed market research alongside proprietary data from our extensive work supporting GP partnerships. Unless otherwise stated, all figures referenced are sourced from these combined datasets.
