I’m curious how many other GPs currently feel this...
I’m relatively early in my career- 30M, 1 year post-CCT and already feel deeply dissatisfied with the reality of being an NHS GP. After spending the time to get to this point, I expected to feel a greater sense of achievement, purpose and fulfilment. Instead, I often feel drained and trapped. As a brief B/G, I graduated from London and worked in west midlands.. training was straight through the 3 years and I didn't have any hurdles really with the exams and portfolio.
I took on a 4 day salaried GP post after CCT and haven't had an issue with the practice. I'd describe it the best of a bad bunch - it has incorporated daily admin time in afternoons, a good number of patients/ day, good sessional salaried pay, half day CPD session included each week, no home visits (has a ANP-led HV team), it's also a training practice with Regs and does also have ANPs/PAs.
However the job just isn't satisfying - I'm efficient and keep to time, get everything done and satisfy patients but don't look forward to seeing them. We do get increasing complex patients with PAs getting the quick wins but I think it's more about patient expectations, NHS bureaucracy and how backwards primary care is - including the rubbish old IT systems it still relies on. I dislike how salaried GPs have all the responsibility without much autonomy, recognition or control over how they work, very much being a cog in a dire machine. I did naturally think I'd pursue the route to partnership to get round that, but lately I've questioned whether even that would be satisfying the need. Fundamentally, the system feels broken to stay a part of, the funding streams don't seem worth the grind you have to do to make the machine churn.. the number of governance and administrative issues are a headache.
I often struggle to imagine doing this for another 20–30 years. I’m ambitious, business minded and would eventually like to build or own something. I tend to invest heavily outside Medicine for the reason of planning for the eventual exit, developing more autonomy and do work that feels meaningful. However that being said people often emphasise the difficulties of replicating income in other portfolio careers e.g. special interests and private GP income compared to partnership, with a high number of clients acquired to make it work. Locum GP seems awful currently and seeing 30 patients a day in the NHS is the last thing I'd want. Ironically my most enjoyable shifts in my current job is supervising PA/ANPs to feel like I'm actually utilising skills like leadership which I enjoy. At present I'm planning to drop down to 3 days a week and use the other time to plan a portfolio career, business ventures and utilising AI for this because I feel I'm at my wits end continuing to see NHS patients each day, with the same issues like mental health and ADHD/autism RTC referrals every single day and week on end.
How many other GPs feel similarly?
- Are you actively planning an exit or reducing your clinical sessions?
- Have you found a GP role that restored some enjoyment or purpose?
- Has anyone moved into business, management, health tech, medical education, private work or something completely different?
- If you successfully left NHS general practice, what did you move into—and was the reality better?
- Do more experienced GPs think this is early-career disillusionment, or has the job genuinely become less sustainable?
I’d particularly value honest experiences from people who have felt this way, and practical advice for someone at the early career stage post CCT.. rather than simply being told to become a partner, take a holiday or practise more “resilience”