A new survey of the public carried out by the BMA has shown the value they give to doctors, as Government workforce plans threaten to reduce the numbers of doctors in the NHS.  

56% of those who responded put increasing the number of doctors in the NHS as their number one spending priority from a range of options. This compares to 6% who rank increasing spending on non-staffing areas (for example buildings and facilities) first. 1 

The public’s desire for a larger and fully trained medical workforce comes as plans to increase the use of advanced practitioners (APs) and increase the use of AI in healthcare are reported to form part of the upcoming NHS Workforce Plan. This is alongside the expectation that there will be a significant reduction in the previously planned expansion of doctors.  

The same survey also showed a wider confusion about NHS roles, and a considerable lack of knowledge about the level of training of APs. When asked to rank professionals by seniority, 7% of patients incorrectly put APs as first.  This was the same percentage as put fully qualified GPs and resident doctors first. 2 

At the Annual Representative Meeting (ARM) in Brighton on Monday, BMA members passed a motion calling for national scopes of practice to ensure APs worked within their competence, and for Government to ensure employers use APs to complement rather than substitute doctors. 3 

Dr Emma Runswick, BMA deputy chair of council, said: 

“Multidisciplinary teams and our many non-doctor colleagues are essential to what we do, but this survey indicates the desire by the public to see greater investment in doctors.  

“Whatever the Government’s long term health strategy might want to achieve, the public’s view is clear – invest in doctors.  There is no shortcut to medical training and no short cut to high-quality patient care. Yes, it costs money to train and employ us, but that is because we do a job no one else can. 

“The public understand this. By far the top spending priority for them is increasing the number of doctors in the NHS. That’s because they want to see their GP, or an A&E doctor, or one of many other doctors they know can help them in ways no one else can. 

“However, the NHS clearly has a lot of work to do in making it much clearer to patients what advanced practitioners can do for them, but more importantly what they cannot and should not do. As with physician assistants, when increasing the number of APs in the system, they have failed to educate people about the limitations of the role. Indeed, as we see in this survey, many patients would actually rank an AP above a GP that has at least a decade of medical training. 

“BMA conference today has expressed strong doubts about the viability of any NHS plan that allows doctors to be substituted for those of lesser training. The shortcut is tempting for NHS management, but assuming roles can be blurred together risks the safety of patients. We need safe working parameters for non-doctor colleagues, and robust safeguards against the substitution of doctors.  

“We also need commitments from this Government that there is no truth in the reports that they are cutting back on the previous government’s plan to increase the number of doctors we so desperately need. There are now credible reports that they think AI will magically be used to fill the gap. This is magical thinking, born of the desire to save money placed above every other priority.  

“You cannot replace us with chatbots and algorithms, and you can’t replace us with non-medically qualified staff. There is truly no alternative to uniquely skilled doctors.”  

 

Notes to editors 

 

1. “Thinking about the future of the NHS, what do you think the Government or NHS should prioritise in terms of healthcare spending. Please rank the following from 1 to 6, where 1 is the highest priority”  

1166 out of a total sample of 2075 (56%) ranked “Investing more in the medical workforce ie increasing the number of doctors in the NHS” as no.1. “Investing in non-staffing areas of the NHS” was ranked 1st by 130 respondents (6%). 

 

2. When asked to rank a series of job titles/roles in the NHS by level of seniority, 7% of respondents ranked each of the following roles 1st: General Practitioner, Advanced Clinical Practitioner and Resident Doctor (136, 153, 135 responses out of 2075 respectively).   

 

3. The motion as passed at ARM reads: 

That this meeting recognises that advanced practitioners can play a valuable role in multiprofessional teams, but notes that variability in regulation, training, and scopes of practice may pose unquantified patient safety risks, and calls on Governments in each UK nation and other relevant bodies to:- 

i)    commission a review to quantify the patient safety and workforce impact of current advanced practitioner roles, including scopes of practice, supervision arrangements, and clinical outcomes; 

ii)   develop nationally-agreed scopes of practice and core curricula for advanced practitioners, with clearly defined limits of practice and requirements for supervision and oversight; 

iii)  ensure that medical student and doctor training remains adequately resourced and protected, including prioritised access to training opportunities that are essential for progression, without undermining multiprofessional training pathways; 

iv)   introduce mechanisms to ensure that advanced practitioners complement, rather than substitute for, doctors in clinical rotas; 

v)    require that advanced practitioners do not diagnose or manage undifferentiated patients independently; 

vi)   consider specific regulation for advanced practitioner roles, including requirements for professional revalidation and ongoing competency assessment beyond their base professional regulation. 

 

 

  

Data used in this press release is based on an omnibus survey conducted by Walnut (part of Accenture Song) on behalf of the British Medical Association. Survey fieldwork ran between 12-16th June 2026, surveying a nationally representative sample of 2075 people, which includes a sample boost for Northern Ireland. The figures have been weighted to be representative of all GB adults (18+). 

   

 

The BMA is a professional association and trade union representing and negotiating on behalf of all doctors in the UK. A leading voice advocating for outstanding health care and a healthy population. An association providing members with excellent individual services and support throughout their lives.  

Notes to editors