The areas of Lancashire with the fewest GPs, according to latest NHS figures

The areas of England that have the highest ratio of patients to GPs has been revealed in a new analysis of NHS data.

Procurement contract database, Tracker analysed NHS Digital data from November 2022, to uncover which areas of England have the highest proportion of patients to every GP.

They looked at the total number of patients registered at GP practices throughout England and considered the total number of GPs working in each practice area.

East Lancashire was found to have the worst patient coverage across the Lancashire and South Cumbira Integrated Care Board (ICB), with 1 GP to every 1,515 patients; or 263 GPs covering 398,556 registered patients. Morecambe Bay on the other hand offers the best patient coverage in the area, at 1 GP for every to 1,196 patients.

Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB coverage ranked from best to worst:

Morecambe Bay (1 GP to 1,196 patients)
Blackburn With Darwen (1 GP to 1,371 patients)
Greater Preston (1 GP to 1,421 patients)
Blackpool (1 GP to 1,439 patients)
Fylde and Wyre (1 GP to 1,472 patients)
Chorley and South Ribble (1 GP to 1,490 patients)
West Lancashire (1 GP to 1,514 patients)
East Lancashire (1 GP to 1,515 patients)

Highest Number of Patients per GP in England:

1. Hull, Humber and North Yorkshire (1 GP to 2,063 patients)

Hull ranked as having the highest proportion of patients to GPs. Hull, which is part of the NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) was found to have one GP to for every 2,063 registered patients. This was based on a total of 309,456 registered patients and 150 GPs.

2. North East Lincolnshire, Humber and North Yorkshire (1 GP to 1,894 patients)

North East Lincolnshire ranked as the second highest ratio of patients to GPs. This area which also falls under the Humber and North Yorkshire ICB, was found to have one GP to every 1,894 patients; a total of 172,344 registered patients and 91 GPs.

3. Cannock Chase, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (1 GP to 1,799 patients)

Cannock Chase ranked as the third highest proportion of patients to GPs. This area, which falls under the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB, has one GP for every 1,799 patients; a total of 136,744 registered patients and 76 GPs.

4. Portsmouth, Hampshire and Isle of Wight (1 GP to 1,774 patients)

Portsmouth ranked as having the fourth highest number of patients to GPs. This area which falls under the Hampshire and Isle of Wight ICB, has one GP for every 1,774 patients. This was based on a total of 232,339 registered patients and 131 GPs.

5. Thurrock, Mid and South Essex (1 GP to 1,766 patients)

Thurrock, part of the Mid and South Essex ICB, ranked fifth with one GP for every 1,766 patients. This was based on a total of 185,482 registered patients and 105 GPs across the care board.

Wirral, Cheshire and Merseyside was found to have the lowest rates, at one GP to every 905 patients. This was based on 377 GPs overseeing 341,223 registered patients across this region.

A spokesperson for Tracker commented on the findings:

“By grouping patients and GPs by their Integrated Care Boards, this data offers a fascinating insight into which areas GPs are likely to be feeling the most strain, and where patients will more likely struggle to see a practitioner.

“The data, which looked at 62.2 million patient registrations across 106 different care boards, found that on average there is one GP for every 1,344 patients across England.

“GPs based in Hull were found to have 53.5% more patients each than the national average, while GPs based in Wirral appear to have 32.7% fewer patients, compared to the rest of England.

“While patients are not going to be split evenly among each GP, the findings offer an insight into which areas are likely to experience further pressure, if doctors are not encouraged to train and practise in these areas.”

Full list of Areas and NHS Integrated Care Boards

	Area	Integrated Care Board	Total number of registered patients	Total number of GPs	No. patients to every GP
1	Hull	NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB – 03F Hull	309,456	150	2,063
2	North East Lincolnshire	NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB – 03H North East Lincolnshire	172,344	91	1,894
3	Cannock Chase	NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB – 04Y Cannock Chase	136,744	76	1,799
4	Portsmouth	NHS Hampshire and Isle Of Wight ICB – 10R Portsmouth	232,339	131	1,774
5	Thurrock	NHS Mid and South Essex ICB – 07G Thurrock	185,482	105	1,766
6	North East Essex	NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB – 06T North East Essex	369,026	210	1,757
7	Knowsley	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB – 01J Knowsley	170,506	98	1,740
8	Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes	NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB – M1J4Y	1,088,389	649	1,677
9	Basildon and Brentwood	NHS Mid and South Essex ICB – 99E Basildon and Brentwood	287,933	173	1,664
10	Stoke-on-Trent	NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB – 05W Stoke on Trent	300,787	181	1,662
11	Berkshire West	NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB – 15A Berkshire West	576,849	353	1,634
12	East Staffordshire	NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB – 05D East Staffordshire	149,867	93	1,611
13	Kent and Medway	NHS Kent and Medway ICB – 91Q	1,981,617	1,233	1,607
14	North West London	NHS North West London ICB – W2U3Z	2,819,806	1,779	1,585
15	Bassetlaw	NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB – 02Q Bassetlaw	123,583	78	1,584
16	Barnsley	NHS South Yorkshire ICB – 02P Barnsley	267,054	169	1,580
17	Stafford and Surrounds	NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB – 05V Stafford and Surrounds	153,221	97	1,580
18	Ipswich and East Suffolk	NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB – 06L Ipswich and East Suffolk	421,264	267	1,578
19	Castle Point and Rochford	NHS Mid and South Essex ICB – 99F Castle Point and Rochford	187,010	119	1,572
20	Mid Essex	NHS Mid and South Essex ICB – 06Q Mid Essex	409,450	265	1,545
21	East Riding of Yorkshire	NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB – 02Y East Riding of Yorkshire	310,488	202	1,537
22	Bury	NHS Greater Manchester ICB – 00V Bury	209,405	137	1,529
23	North East London	NHS North East London ICB – A3A8R	2,385,832	1,569	1,521
24	East Lancashire	NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB – 01A East Lancashire	398,556	263	1,515
25	West Lancashire	NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB – 02G West Lancashire	116,603	77	1,514
26	Lincolnshire	NHS Lincolnshire ICB – 71E	812,461	537	1,513
27	Brighton and Hove	NHS Sussex ICB – 09D Brighton and Hove	331,759	222	1,494
28	Chorley and South Ribble	NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB – 00X Chorley and South Ribble	189,288	127	1,490
29	Fylde and Wyre	NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB – 02M Fylde and Wyre	184,061	125	1,472
30	South East London	NHS South East London ICB – 72Q	2,068,588	1,412	1,465
31	Tees Valley	NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB – 16C Tees Valley	722,880	496	1,457
32	Doncaster	NHS South Yorkshire ICB – 02X Doncaster	330,796	227	1,457
33	Sunderland	NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB – 00P Sunderland	288,839	200	1,444
34	Oldham	NHS Greater Manchester ICB – 00Y Oldham	263,594	183	1,440
35	Blackpool	NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB – 00R Blackpool	177,016	123	1,439
36	Northamptonshire	NHS Northamptonshire ICB – 78H	821,097	572	1,435
37	Southend	NHS Mid and South Essex ICB – 99G Southend	190,857	133	1,435
38	Kirklees	NHS West Yorkshire ICB – X2C4Y Kirklees	453,384	316	1,435
39	Cambridgeshire and Peterborough	NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB – 06H	1,028,705	717	1,435
40	East Sussex	NHS Sussex ICB – 97R East Sussex	570,478	401	1,423
41	South Tyneside	NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB – 00N South Tyneside	159,177	112	1,421
42	Greater Preston	NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB – 01E Greater Preston	224,550	158	1,421
43	East and North Hertfordshire	NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB – 06K East and North Hertfordshire	620,212	437	1,419
44	Staffs and Seisdon Peninsula	NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB – 05Q SE Staffs and Seisdon Peninsula	219,820	155	1,418
45	West Sussex	NHS Sussex ICB – 70F West Sussex	929,641	659	1,411
46	Leicester City	NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB – 04C Leicester City	432,911	308	1,406
47	Calderdale	NHS West Yorkshire ICB – 02T Calderdale	223,180	159	1,404
48	Southport and Formby	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB – 01V Southport and Formby	127,001	91	1,396
49	Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin	NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB – M2L0M	523,319	377	1,388
50	Rotherham	NHS South Yorkshire ICB – 03L Rotherham	268,705	194	1,385
51	North Lincolnshire	NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB – 03K North Lincolnshire	183,865	133	1,382
52	North Central London	NHS North Central London ICB – 93C	1,772,807	1,288	1,376
53	St Helens	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB – 01X St Helens	200,584	146	1,374
54	Blackburn With Darwen	NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB – 00Q Blackburn With Darwen	182,320	133	1,371
55	Frimley	NHS Frimley ICB – D4U1Y	822,041	602	1,366
56	Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight	NHS Hampshire and Isle Of Wight ICB – D9Y0V Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight	1,704,569	1,261	1,352
57	North Cumbria	NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB – 01H North Cumbria	331,453	246	1,347
58	Norfolk and Waveney	NHS Norfolk and Waveney ICB – 26A	1,081,717	807	1,340
59	Warrington	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB – 02E Warrington	225,491	169	1,334
60	Manchester	NHS Greater Manchester ICB – 14L Manchester	712,156	534	1,334
61	West Leicestershire	NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB – 04V West Leicestershire	413,665	311	1,330
62	Black Country	NHS Black Country ICB – D2P2L	1,298,523	977	1,329
63	Dorset	NHS Dorset ICB – 11J	824,598	628	1,313
64	Wigan Borough	NHS Greater Manchester ICB – 02H Wigan Borough	341,146	260	1,312
65	Salford	NHS Greater Manchester ICB – 01G Salford	306,610	235	1,305
66	County Durham	NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB – 84H County Durham	563,510	432	1,304
67	Buckinghamshire	NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB – 14Y Buckinghamshire	582,700	447	1,304
68	South West London	NHS South West London ICB – 36L	1,738,799	1,335	1,302
69	Halton	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB – 01F Halton	135,011	104	1,298
70	West Essex	NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB – 07H West Essex	326,794	252	1,297
71	Bradford District and Craven	NHS West Yorkshire ICB – 36J Bradford District and Craven	655,558	506	1,296
72	Wakefield	NHS West Yorkshire ICB – 03R Wakefield	391,140	303	1,291
73	West Suffolk	NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB – 07K West Suffolk	264,854	209	1,267
74	Nottingham and Nottinghamshire	NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB – 52R Nottingham and Nottinghamshire	1,134,331	896	1,266
75	Surrey Heartlands	NHS Surrey Heartlands ICB – 92A	1,132,677	895	1,266
76	Tameside and Glossop	NHS Greater Manchester ICB – 01Y Tameside and Glossop	221,267	175	1,264
77	Herts Valleys	NHS Hertfordshire and West Essex ICB – 06N Herts Valleys	675,244	535	1,262
78	North Staffordshire	NHS Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB – 05G North Staffordshire	218,459	174	1,256
79	Leeds	NHS West Yorkshire ICB – 15F Leeds	917,700	731	1,255
80	Coventry and Warwickshire	NHS Coventry and Warwickshire ICB – B2M3M	1,069,685	855	1,251
81	South Sefton	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB – 01T South Sefton	157,678	127	1,242
82	Derby and Derbyshire	NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB – 15M	1,117,511	908	1,231
83	Somerset	NHS Somerset ICB – 11X	599,259	488	1,228
84	Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale	NHS Greater Manchester ICB – 01D Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale	244,385	200	1,222
85	Cheshire	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB – 27D Cheshire	803,793	665	1,209
86	Newcastle Gateshead	NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB – 13T Newcastle Gateshead	545,971	453	1,205
87	Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire	NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire ICB – 92G	988,993	822	1,203
88	Trafford	NHS Greater Manchester ICB – 02A Trafford	247,694	206	1,202
89	Gloucestershire	NHS Gloucestershire ICB – 11M	680,726	567	1,201
90	Birmingham and Solihull	NHS Birmingham and Solihull ICB – 15E	1,583,927	1,321	1,199
91	North Tyneside	NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB – 99C North Tyneside	225,303	188	1,198
92	East Leicestershire and Rutland	NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB – 03W East Leicestershire and Rutland	354,426	296	1,197
93	Morecambe Bay	NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB – 01K Morecambe Bay	356,334	298	1,196
94	Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire	NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire ICB – 15C	1,067,537	893	1,195
95	Bolton	NHS Greater Manchester ICB – 00T Bolton	323,038	272	1,188
96	Sheffield	NHS South Yorkshire ICB – 03N Sheffield	629,524	532	1,183
97	Herefordshire and Worcestershire	NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB – 18C	820,981	695	1,181
98	Oxfordshire	NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB – 10Q Oxfordshire	806,112	690	1,168
99	Cornwall and The Isles Of Scilly	NHS Cornwall and The Isles Of Scilly ICB – 11N	600,325	526	1,141
100	Vale of York	NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB – 03Q Vale of York	369,073	332	1,112
101	Stockport	NHS Greater Manchester ICB – 01W Stockport	322,878	302	1,069
102	North Yorkshire	NHS Humber and North Yorkshire ICB – 42D North Yorkshire	439,873	413	1,065
103	Devon	NHS Devon ICB – 15N	1,279,709	1,219	1,050
104	Northumberland	NHS North East and North Cumbria ICB – 00L Northumberland	335,121	322	1,041
105	Liverpool	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB – 99A Liverpool	575,222	574	1,002
106	Wirral	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside ICB – 12F Wirral	341,223	377	905

The areas of Lancashire with the fewest GPs, according to latest NHS figures

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