TOPLINE:

Working in a persistently high-turnover practice in England was associated with lower scores for job and life satisfaction as well as components such as autonomy, belonging, and competence among general practitioners (GPs).

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a retrospective observational study using national administrative data and the GP Worklife Survey to assess GP turnover and job satisfaction in England.
• They linked GP workforce datasets for turnover during 2013-2019 with responses from the GP Worklife Survey in 2015, 2017, and 2019, which provided insights into GPs' work-related satisfaction and stress.
• Practices with persistently high turnover of GPs were defined as those with more than 10% of GPs leaving annually for 3 consecutive years.
• A total of 2403 GPs (mean age, 48.2 years; 49.4% men; 78.3% White individuals) were included in the study, of whom 193 (8%) worked in practices with persistently high turnover.
• Linear regression analyses were used to relate components of job satisfaction to persistent turnover. The Autonomy, Belonging, and Competence framework was used to evaluate GPs' well-being at work; self-reported overall job and life satisfaction and hours worked were also assessed.

TAKEAWAY:

• In the Autonomy domain, GPs in high-turnover practices reported the lowest scores for paperwork; in the Belonging domain, the lowest scores for GPs' satisfaction with remuneration and recognition for good work; in the Competence domain, the lowest scores for items related to workload.
• Working in a persistently high-turnover practice was associated with lower Autonomy (P < .001), Belonging (P < .001), and Competence (P < .001) scores.
• Overall job satisfaction was 6.7 points lower and life satisfaction was 5.7 points lower for GPs in high-turnover practices (P < .001 and P < .01, respectively).
• GPs in high-turnover practices worked 3 more hours per week (P = .003).

IN PRACTICE:

"This analysis of a large sample of GPs provides further emphasis for practices, networks and government on the need to act to implement changes to support staff in these key domains," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Laura Jefferson, PhD, of the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York in York, England. It was published online on September 29, 2025, in British Journal of General Practice.

LIMITATIONS:

The study's design precluded establishing causal inferences between GP turnover and job satisfaction. The cohort lacked ethnic diversity and underrepresented salaried and locum GPs. Data were limited to pre-COVID experiences, potentially affecting current relevance.

DISCLOSURES:

One author reported being funded through a fellowship with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The GP Worklife Survey was funded by the NIHR Policy Research Programme through the Policy Research Unit on Health and Social Care Systems and Commissioning (PRUComm). No relevant conflicts of interest were disclosed by the authors.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.