LOCATION IS THE BEST PRESCRIPTION FOR SUCCESSFUL GPS

General Practitioners can earn over £100,000 a year, but only if they are in the right location say the Association of Specialist Medical Accountants (aisma).

Medical finance experts from aisma analysed the 2003 earnings of more than 4,500 GPs across mainland Britain and found that those practising in England earned nearly £20k more than their equivalents in Scotland or Wales .  In 2003, English GPs enjoyed an average annual income of  £89,981, while their Scottish and Welsh colleagues only earned an average of £72,768 and £71,458 respectively.

Even in England , there are marked regional differences in GP income.  For example, family doctors in the West Midlands , Oxfordshire, Anglia , the North East and Yorkshire earned an average of well over £90,000, with many topping the £100k mark, whereas those in the north west and south west of the country earned less than the national average of £86,896.

The survey also revealed a disparity in the level of increase in earnings on the previous year.  Again, the English GPs had the biggest increase of 10%, which means their income went up by £8,189 in 2003.  Scottish and Welsh GPs saw a more modest  increase of 7.6% and 8.1% respectively.

Mike Gilbert, founder member of aisma said: “There are several reasons for these differences in earnings.  GPs are paid according to the number of patients they care for and in areas of low population, such as rural Wales and Scotland , the patient lists are much smaller, whereas travel expenses are much higher.  

“Another factor is the way in which GPs are funded.  Those who are on a Personal Medical Services (PMS) contract earn around £17k more than their colleagues on General Medical Service contracts (GMS).   It is some of these PMS doctors who are seeing incomes of more than £100k.  There are very few PMS funded GPs in Scotland and none at all in Wales , which affects the average figure.  A new GMS contract was introduced at the beginning of April this year, so it will be very interesting to see whether the gap narrows over the next couple of years.”

Mike went on to comment that all GPs can improve their income by introducing good management policies to their surgeries.  Typically, practices where the partners trust each other and work as a team are far more stable, resulting in a better-run and therefore more lucrative operation.   “As with any business, it’s essential that the partners have similar philosophies, particularly regarding patient care and financial management,”  he said.

The regional areas are based on the geographical boundaries used by the Department of Health.  Full regional figures are available on request.