Ipswich and East Suffolk have fewer GPs per person than the national average, new figures reveal

Data from NHS Digital show there are 1,900 people per GP in the Ipswich and East Suffolk area.

The situation has got better with 220 GPs in September 2021 compared to 219 in October 2014 but the population has also increased over that period.

Registered patients were 396,631 in 2014, meaning there was one GP per 1,811 patients. There are 418,000 patients in 2021.

So patients now have fewer GPs at practices.

In West Suffolk, the situation has improved a lot.

There is one GP for every 1,553 patients, according to September 2021 data, and one GP per every 1,662 in October 2014.

There were 242,730 patients in 2014 with 146 GPs and are now 261,000 patients in 2021 with 168 GPs.

And in North Essex, the rate is 2,039 patients per GP while Norfolk and Waveney are on 1,713.

In England, there are 1,759 patients per GP.