GP salaries average £110k

The average doctor in the West Midlands earns more than £110,000 a year, figures show. But patients feel they are not getting value for money as health bosses are forking out for services which lighten GPs' loads without cutting their pay.

An analysis of tax returns for contracted GPs in the UK found their pre-tax profits went up by an average of 9.8 per cent in 2005-06 compared to the previous year. Figures from the Information Centre regarding health and social care have included the fees GPs get for private as well as NHS work.

A family doctor can earn an average of £113,600 in England compared to £90,600 in Scotland.

GPs who worked in practices dispensing prescriptions had an average net profit of £127,100 (up 6.3 per cent on 2004-05) after expenses, while non-dispensing doctors had an average net profit of £106,700 (up 10.4 per cent) after expenses.

At the lowest end of the scale, 5.9 per cent of GPs had net profits less than £50,000 while the highest earners profited by more than £200,000. Dorothy Darby, of Wolverhampton's Patient and Public Involvement Forum, said: "In some instances the primary care trust (PCT) is paying for services twice because they fund both the GPs and the walk-in centres, which take some of the workload away from the GPs."

Wolverhampton's walk-in centre is the Phoenix Health Centre in Parkfield Road, which opened in January. Ministers are trying to persuade doctors to work longer hours and provide more services at evenings and weekends. Health Secretary Alan Johnson has accused GPs of working in a "nine-to-five" culture that is "an anomaly" in the 21st century.

Lynne Allen, director of primary care for Wolverhampton City PCT, said: "GP earnings in Wolverhampton are comparable to GPs across the country.

"The introduction of the new GP contract in April 2004 represented a significant step in the development of general practice, providing incentives and opportunities for GPs to develop a greater range of services for patients."