ARRS GPs not included in latest monthly statistics

We look at the monthly primary care workforce figures from November, which report on the National Workforce Reporting Service (NWRS) submissions to give a picture of Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) PCN staff across England.

ARRS GPs are not included in the latest monthly PCN workforce statistics, despite being introduced to the scheme at the start of October.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed that these figures do not include the number of GPs that have been hired through the scheme, and that NHS England are currently considering how to publish these figures. But, there is currently no timeline for doing so.

It comes as RCGP chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne said 300 GPs had been hired through the scheme since October.

Across the rest of the workforce, 15 out of the 35 roles recorded have dropped in numbers between October and November, with care coordinators having fallen by the most (40) and physician associate numbers continuing to drop for the fourth month in a row, from 1,165 in October to 1,154 at the end of November (see table).

The regulation of PAs began last week, with registration open from Monday. However, the role has been subject to controversy over the past few months, with reports of redundancies.

The largest increase in workforce numbers was seen among general practice assistants, where there were 35 more reported in November than the previous month.

Pulse PCN also reports on the quarterly primary care workforce figures, which alongside the NWRS submissions includes ARRS claims data, to keep a track on the number of ARRS PCN staff in England.

Source: Primary care network workforce figures from NHS England

*While all the above roles from the primary care network workforce statistics are reimbursable under ARRS, NHS England has not confirmed whether the FTE numbers have been claimed for under the scheme.