Drawing on analysis of the latest data on GP services and the results of a separate survey of over 100 influential health and social care leaders, the Nuffield Trust argues that general practice is in need of both more money and significant reform to enable it to meet the challenges set out by NHS England in its recent Five Year Forward View.
In July 2014, a Government-commissioned report into the recruitment and retention problems affecting general practice concluded that the GP role needs to be promoted as a positive career choice – from school, through medical school and foundation training. Securing the Future GP Workforce went as far as recommending a reduction in hospitalbased training posts as part of a planned expansion in GP training numbers.
The report, by the GP Taskforce highlighted the fact that GP recruitment has remained ‘stubbornly below’ the target to increase GP training numbers to 3,250 per year. About 2,700 juniors have entered GP training each year for the past four years.
In August 2014, the British Medical Association (BMA) further reported on the findings of a survey which found that more than one-in-10 newly qualified GPs is intending to leave the country in the next year. The findings from a survey of 2,000 GP trainees prompted renewed calls, from the BMA, for urgent action to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis in general practice.
Log in or register FREE to read the rest
This story is Premium Content and is only available to registered users. Please log in at the top of the page to view the full text.
If you don't already have an account, please register with us completely free of charge.
