A mass exodus of 19,000 GPs in the next five years has been predicted following a nationwide survey of family doctors.
The Royal College of GPs polled 1,300 of its members and weighted results to reflect all career stages and regions of the country.
Some 42% say they are likely to quit in the next five years, with 10% in the next year and 19% in two years.
With a headcount of more than 45,000 GPs and trainees this could mean patients are set to lose almost 19,000 medics, equivalent to more than 15,000 full-time equivalent GPs.
When questioned 60% of leavers cited stress, working hours, and lack of job satisfaction as reasons to quit.
It comes as the NHS faces an exodus of experienced GPs, many who are taking early retirement due to workload pressures.
It means increases in trainee doctors are not relieving pressure and patients face record waits to see a GP.
Prof Martin Marshall, chair of the RCGPs, said: “What our members are telling us is alarming. General practice is significantly understaffed, underfunded, overworked and this is impacting on the care we’re able to deliver. The intensity of our workload is escalating whilst numbers of fully qualified, full-time GPs are falling.”
Some 68% said they do not have enough time to assess patients properly and 65% said safety is being compromised. Four out of five expect working as a GP to get worse.
Prof Marshall said: “Being a GP is a fantastic career, when it is adequately resourced and when we have the time to deliver the care our patients need, and the type we want to deliver.”
Labour said patients are “sick and tired” of waiting for GP appointments.
Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: “Patients are finding it impossible to book GP appointments, serious conditions are going undiagnosed, patients are waiting longer than is safe for treatment, backlogs are building up, and millions are waiting more than a month to be seen, often in pain and discomfort.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are hugely grateful to GPs and their staff for the care they provide to patients and we are working hard to support and grow the workforce.
“There are record numbers of GPs in training, and there were over 1,400 more full time equivalent doctors working in general practice in March 2022, compared to the same time in 2019.
“We have invested £520 million to improve access and expand GP capacity, on top of £1.5 billion until 2024, and we are helping to create an extra 50 million appointments a year to tackle the Covid backlogs."
