Record number of GPs training in Wales in 2020

GP recruitment figures in Wales have reached records numbers for the third year running, with 200 new GP trainees recruited this year.

The Welsh Government says that achieving 200 new recruits is a substantial increase from the original target of 136 but also the increased allocation agreed last year of 160 training places.

The trainees have been recruited by Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), who over the last few years has established a number of initiatives to promote Wales as a great place to train and work, supported by the Train Work Live campaign, which launched in 2016. The campaign includes two financial incentive schemes: a targeted scheme offering a £20,000 incentive to GP trainees taking up posts in specified areas with a trend of low fill rates, and a universal scheme offering a one off payment for all GP trainees to cover the cost of one sitting of their final examinations.

Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “Recruiting 200 new GP trainees is fantastic news in any year, but this year more than any other has highlighted the vital care the NHS and Social Care workforce provides to us and how much we rely on them. The national and international Train Work Live marketing campaign year on year has worked with partners to deliver increased take up of GP training places and these figures reinforces the messages that Wales is a fantastic place to train, work and live. I’m delighted that we have once again broken recruitment records and that we are making a significant contribution to the delivery of a sustainable primary care service.”