The average number of GP patients at practices in Bradford District and Craven is rising, figures show.

The British Medical Association said a rapid expansion of the GP workforce across England is needed, as the number of patients per practice hit a new national record.

NHS Digital figures show 646,910 patients were registered at the 71 GP practices in the NHS Bradford District and Craven CCG area, as of the end of June.

This meant each GP team was dealing with an average of 9,111 patients each – up slightly from 9,068 in June 2020.

The number of patients in Bradford District and Craven increased by 3,067 over this time, while the number of practices remained unchanged.

Across England, 60.8 million patients were registered at 6,571 facilities in June – equating to an average of 9,258 people per practice.

This was up 2.4% on a year previously, and the highest figure since comparable quarterly records began in 2015.

Richard Vautrey, chairman of the BMA’s GP committee, said: “The differences seen throughout England reflect the overall workforce crisis, which has been troubling for over a decade now.

"Numbers of GPs are falling while demand rises, leaving us with a severe shortage.

"With a growing and ageing population, only a medical workforce expansion will give us hope that we can offer good quality care to everyone in the future.”

He urged the Government to rapidly grow the medical workforce by at least 31% to ensure all citizens receive the same standard of care.

The NHS figures also reveal how one practice in Bradford District and Craven has around nine times as many patients as another.

The Saltaire & Windhill Medical Partnership has the most patients registered, with 24,084, while Dr U Akbar has the fewest – 2,589.

The figures come as new research from the University of Cambridge finds that there are fewer GPs per patient in poorer parts of England compared to wealthier regions.

The academics found that between September 2015 and December 2020 there were, on average, 1.4 fewer full time equivalent GPs per 10,000 patients in the most deprived areas compared to the least deprived areas.

Dr John Ford, the study’s senior author, said: “People who live in disadvantaged regions of England are not only more likely to have long-term health problems, but are likely to find it even more difficult to see a GP and experience worse care when they see a GP.

“This is just one aspect of how disadvantage accumulates for some people leading to poor health and early death."