Childcare costs for doctors to be covered

The NHS has launched a new scheme to encourage hundreds more doctors to return to general practice by offering help towards the costs of caring for children or family members.

Qualified GPs who are interested in coming back to the NHS or joining from overseas will now able to access financial support worth up to £2,000 if family responsibilities are deemed the barrier to completing the necessary training.

The assistance is being added to the NHS Induction and Refresher scheme, which has already encouraged 500 GPs who have previously worked for the NHS or who practised overseas to join the NHS, and to bring their skills up to current requirements.

The programme forms part of a raft of measures which aim to deliver 6,000 more doctors and 26,000 more supporting roles, to increase the number of services and appointments available for patients close to their own home.

The NHS has confirmed it will also cover those with caring responsibilities. Anyone already on the scheme can claim costs back retrospectively up to 1 April this year.

Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director for primary care at NHS England, said: “Family doctors and their teams have played a vital role during the coronavirus pandemic and rapidly adapted how they work to ensure people can still access care in new and more convenient ways, and our ambition remains to recruit thousands more GPs and other clinicians to offer the best care we can for our patients.

“GPs, like those in any other walk of life, might take time out from their career to raise a family which can bring additional challenges, move or work abroad or gain experience in a different profession or role. But whatever the reason, there is a direct route for those that wish to return to a career in NHS general practice, at a time when the NHS needs all the expertise it can draw on to help in the ongoing response to coronavirus – and thanks to this brilliant scheme, it has never been easier.”