This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Third of GP trainee positions unfilled
The figures revealed on the GP National Recruitment Office website emphasise the drop in GP training application rates, down for a second successive year by six per cent. Nationally, there is a 29 per cent vacancy rate, which is a drastic change from the eight per cent of 2013. Only London and Northern Ireland filled there positions after the first round of recruitment, with Kent, Surrey & Sussex likely to fill their positions.
Alarmingly, the East Midlands and North East returned figures showcasing 60 per cent vacancy rates, positions that are unlikely to be filled by August. This is a further setback in Health Education England's attempts to recruit 3,250 GP trainees year by 2016.
In January, NHS England released a ten-point plan to tackle the GP workforce crisis. Alongside Health Education England, GPC and RCGP, the ten-point plan aimed to invest in a new national scheme to attract newly qualified doctors and retain existing workforce. However, the latest recruitment setback has led many in the field to question the changes, and many believe a contract overhaul is needed.
Dr John Ashcroft, of Derby and Derbyshire LMC, said: "We need a new contract, the contract isn’t fit for purpose, they talk about 'you need extra doctors'… we keep hearing the talk, but we’re not really seeing anything to really make a difference. That ultimately means money, doesn’t it? Words are cheap, money counts. If they really recognise the importance of general practice, somebody’s got to find some real money to put in there, otherwise it’s going to keep on getting worse."
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