Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Deferred
Identify mechanisms to distribute GP trainees equitably and incentivise settlement in under-doctored areas.
Recommendation
The Government and NHS England should identify mechanisms to distribute GP trainees more equitably across the country so that under-doctored areas receive a balanced proportion of domestic and international GP trainees. The Government should explore schemes that incentivise GP trainees to settle in the areas they train; this could come in the form of improving opportunities to become GPs with Special Interests, incentivising GPs to join partnerships in understaffed areas, and look to create easier ways for GPs to set up their own practices in primary care “black spots”. (Paragraph 40) 40 The future of general practice
Government response summary AI-generated
The government accepts the recommendation but deflects by addressing the role of receptionists and care navigation training instead of GP trainee distribution and incentives. It commits to investing in a new National Care Navigation Training programme for up to 6,500 staff rolling out from summer 2023, and introducing a Quality and Outcomes Framework module focused on optimising demand in general practice.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government · verbatim extract
Deferred
Accept. The Department accepts this recommendation – GP specialty training is currently regionally distributed on a weighted capitation basis. However, this is being adapted to better reflect current and future population weighted need, as part of the wider NHS England’s trainee redistribution programme. In addition, and in part to help distribute GPs more equitably across the country, new medical schools were created in 2018, in areas of the country without existing medical schools. These schools were primary care and psychiatry focussed, which should increase the domestic pipeline into GP training. This is in addition to the continued and valued recruitment of international medical graduates into GP training, for whom Health Education England (HEE) have put in place additional support where needed. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out how we could build on these actions, to ensure that there is an equitable distribution of GP training places aligned to population need. NHS England and HEE launched the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme (TERS) in 2016, which was subsequently run by HEE. This has attracted hundreds of doctors to train in hard to recruit areas by providing a one-off financial incentive of £20,000. The scheme has since widened its criteria to include under-doctored and deprived areas. 550 places were available in 2021 and through additional government investment, there were 800 places available in 2022.
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