Doctors shun careers as GPs

21 Nov 02
The NHS is facing a 'worrying' shortage of GPs following an increase in the number of vacancies over the last year, a doctors' leader warned this week.

22 November 2002

The British Medical Association GPs' leader John Chisholm said the latest Department of Health GP recruitment and retention survey painted a 'dismal picture'. Excessive workload was driving GPs out and discouraging trainees from entering primary care.

The figures, which cover the year to February 2002 in England and Wales, show fewer newly-qualified GPs are choosing general practice as a career. In 2001/02, 115 new GPs entered practice but the previous year it was 142.

Also, the number of GPs who have left general practice to take another NHS job went up from 14 to 40.

The survey found the overall number of vacancies rose by 176 while the average number of applicants per post fell from 8.5 the previous year to 4.4.

Almost one in five took more than six months to fill, and urban, deprived areas experienced most difficulties. In February, 102 vacancies had been outstanding for at least a year – double the previous figure.

Chisholm said the new GP contract would aid recruitment and retention. The BMA is negotiating the pricing of the contract – it is looking for at least a 15% rise – and expects to put it to a GP vote early in the new year.

Chisholm predicted urban areas would face further doctor shortages: 'The situation is likely to get worse as large numbers of south Asian-trained GPs who came here in the 1960s and 1970s reach retirement age. In some areas this will represent a loss of one in four GPs.'

A Department of Health spokesman said that the increase in vacancies reflected the government's drive to raise GP numbers to more than 30,000 by the end of 2004.

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