NHS England is hoping to lure Australian GPs to work in ‘land of’ Harry Potter, as part of a new social media campaign.
The new campaign launched by NHS England to help plug the gap in GP recruitment highlights England’s cultural ‘treasures’ such as Shakespeare, premier league football clubs and other sporting institutions, as well as areas of natural beauty, as incentives.
This comes after NHS England announced plans last year to make it easier for Australian GPs to work in the UK.
The recruitment programme behind the campaign involves ‘support (including financial help) for all GPs trained in Australia, no matter when you trained.’
As part of this, GPs are being offered up to £18,500 of fully funded relocation costs, plus the cost of visas for family members.
The social media campaign promoting the drive was launched last Monday.
The campaign brochure said: ‘During your induction period (three months for people following the streamlined Certificate of Eligibility for GP Registration process and six months for people following the standard CEGPR), you will receive a salary and pension package of £4,883 gross per calendar month.
‘If your partner wants to pursue their own career in England, whether that is in healthcare or in another profession, we will support them to find suitable work.’
Listing the positives from each area, it said: ‘[The East of England] is an area rich in entertainment. Take the Harry Potter tour at Warner Bros. Studio, or explore more than 200 kilometres of coastline with its grand old seaside towns like Cromer, cosy country pubs, quaint villages and areas of outstanding natural beauty.’
‘[The North West] is home to some of England’s top football teams: Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United and Manchester City.’
The new process will see applicants submit half the amount of evidence currently required from prospective UK GPs.
The GMC and RCGP are currently reviewing the curriculum, training and assessment processes for GPs trained in Australia, to see whether the CEGPR could be simplified.
And a new report on training doctors’ career destinations recently found that fewer trainees are planning to become GPs, while an increasing number of newly qualified doctors are taking breaks after foundation training due to stress and burnout.
