We look at the monthly primary care workforce figures from August, which report on the National Workforce Reporting Service (NWRS) submissions to give a picture of additional roles reimbursement scheme (ARRS) PCN staff across England.
The number of physician associates (PAs) employed in primary care has declined by 35 over the past month, new monthly workforce statistics have shown.
There are now 1,064 full-time equivalent (FTE) PAs employed across primary care in England.
PAs, which will be renamed physician assistants following the Leng review, have faced a decline in numbers since August 2024 (see graph), following controversy surrounding the role. The review said the role did not need to be scrapped, but did suggest that the role should not remain as it is.
It has since been suggested that this review has had a detrimental effect on the mental health of PAs, with a survey suggesting that 90% of PAs have been negatively impacted by the review.
Elsewhere across the workforce, GP assistants increased by 27 FTE, and care coordinators and pharmacy technicians by 14 FTE each.
In separate figures, based on ARRS claims data rather than NWRS, NHS England also revealed that there are now 2,346 (headcount) GPs employed through ARRS as of 31 August 2025.
The FTE figure for July was 1,028.7 GPs. However, NHS England said the figures for GPs hired through ARRS are subject to a data lag due to the short time period between the month end and the date of data extraction, meaning the figures are provisional and could change in the future. The provisional date for August 2025 currently stands at 845.4 FTE GPs.
| Data collection | Source | Includes | Number of GPs |
| PCN monthly workforce to 31 August 2025 | National Workforce Reporting Service (NWRS) | Full-time equivalent GPs hired through ARRS and extended access DES | 622 |
| ARRS claims for GPs to 30 June 2025 | ARRS claims portal | Full-time equivalent GPs hired via ARRS | 1,028.7 |
| ARRS claims for GPs to 31 August 2025 | ARRS claims portal | Headcount GPs hired via ARRS | 2,346 |
It comes as a major report has suggested ministers focus more on continuity of care than access, as well as ringfencing staff funding in order to free up the government to invest in general practice without the fear of 'GP pay' headlines.
| ARRS role | Aug-25 | Difference |
| Pharmacists | 5,480 | Up |
| Care Coordinators | 4,984 | Up |
| Social Prescribing Link Workers (Non-Mental Health Practitioners) | 2,710 | Down |
| Pharmacy Technicians | 2,060 | Up |
| Physiotherapists | 1,647 | Up |
| General Practice Assistants | 1,401 | Up |
| Paramedics | 1,198 | Up |
| Physician Associates | 1,064 | Down |
| Health and Wellbeing Coaches | 1,007 | Down |
| Salaried GPs *Includes salaried GP workforce relating to PCN extended access DES and ARRS | 622 | Up |
| Advanced Nurse Practitioners *some PCNs may be reporting Enhanced Nurse Practitioners under this role, as well as Advanced Clinical Practitioner Nurses, as neither is separately captured within NWRS, though both are ARRS roles. | 598 | Up |
| Nursing Associates | 565 | Down |
| Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners (Mental Health Practitioners) | 463 | Up |
| Trainee Nursing Associates | 396 | Down |
| Other - Roles under the 'Other' Direct Patient Care category may contain roles which PCNs can claim ARRS funding for, but are not yet reported on within this publication. | 394 | Down |
| Advanced Pharmacist Practitioners | 370 | Up |
| Digital and Transformation Leads | 320 | Up |
| Advanced Paramedic Practitioners | 230 | Down |
| Therapists (Non-Mental Health Practitioners) | 182 | Down |
| Dietitians | 121 | Up |
| Social Prescribing Link Workers (Mental Health Practitioners) | 98 | Up |
| Advanced Physiotherapist Practitioners | 97 | Down |
| Community Mental Health Nurses (Mental Health Practitioners) | 64 | Up |
| Enhanced practice nurse | 57 | Up |
| Health Support Workers | 54 | Up |
| Podiatrists | 44 | Down |
| Therapists (Mental Health Practitioners) | 17 | Same |
| Advanced Occupational Therapist Practitioners (Non-Mental Health Practitioners)] | 13 | Same |
| Advanced Dietitian Practitioners | 5 | Same |
| Applied Psychologists – Clinical (Mental Health Practitioners) | 2 | Same |
| Advanced Podiatrist Practitioners | 1 | Same |
| Trainee Mental Health and Wellbeing Practitioners (Mental Health Practitioners) | 1 | Same |
| Social Workers (Mental Health Practitioners) | 1 | Same |
| Peer Support Workers (Mental Health Practitioners) | 1 | Same |
| Trainee Clinical Associates in Psychology (Mental Health Practitioners) | 0 | Same |
| Advanced Occupational Therapist Practitioners (Mental Health Practitioners) | 0 | Same |
| Clinical Associates in Psychology (Mental Health Practitioners) | 0 | Same |
Pulse PCN also reports on the quarterly primary care workforce figures, which alongside the NWRS submissions includes ARRS claims data, to keep a track on the number of ARRS PCN staff in England.
All figures in the table are full-time equivalent.
*While all the above roles from the primary care network workforce statistics are reimbursable under ARRS, NHS England has not confirmed whether the FTE numbers have been claimed for under the scheme.