A new medical school programme that would teach GPs to be ‘managing directors’ of their healthcare communities is being plotted by NHS managers.
The idea forms part of Dorset’s ‘sustainability and transformation plan’ (STP), which wants GPs to take a lead on things like workforce and recruitment in their local NHS rather than just being clinicians.
According the STP’s ‘innovation lead’ Dr Phil Richardson, this would be underpinned by a workforce including pharmacists and physician associates.
He told Pulse: ‘We need to teach people how to run a community, how to run a workforce, how to deal with recruitment – all those things that you don’t really get in a medical school. So it’s creating GPs fit for community-based leadership.’
Dr Richardson was speaking to Pulse following a speech at the King’s Fund, where he claimed the medical school could be up and running in just 18 months.
A Bournemouth University spokesperson told Pulse there were ‘no concrete plans’ but it was ‘exploring a range of potential joint ventures’ with local trusts and NHS Dorset CCG relating to the training of new NHS workforce.
