Exclusive RCGP proposals to extend GP training to four years approved by the Medical Programme Board last week will not cost the NHS extra money, chair Dr Clare Gerada has said.

Partnerships are hard to come by, writes Dr Clare Gerada, but salaried GPs may choose to pursue alternatives - and with good reason

RCGP chair Dr Clare Gerada has criticised the use of GPs with a special interest to ‘mop up’ hospital activity and has called for a wholesale revamp of the programme to focus on reducing healthcare inequalities.

The RCGP has supported calls for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to sign up to a charter to maintain ‘open books’ and to reject contracts with a commercial confidentiality clauses.

All GP registrars would undertake placements in paediatrics and mental health under ‘pragmatic’ RCGP proposals to extend training to four years, but not five, Pulse can reveal.