Doctor leaders urge Government to expand GP training capacity

A number of organisations have written to the Government to call for a substantial expansion of GP training capacity.

Doctor leaders called on the health secretary to take action against the ‘looming workforce crisis in the NHS’, or ‘risk losing a generation of doctors’.

In a letter signed by organisations including the Doctors Association UK (DAUK) and the British International Doctors Associations (BIDA), doctors voiced concerns that the combination of ‘over-recruitment, inadequate training opportunities and unclear workforce planning’ was leading to disillusionment and many young doctors having to leave the profession and/or the country.

The letter specifically called out the discrepancy between the number of qualified doctors and the limited availability of structured training posts.

According to the BMA, more than 30,000 doctors applied for just over 10,000 specialty training places this year.

And, a survey from the union in July revealed that half (52%) of doctors finishing their foundation training in the summer, had no ‘substantive employment or regular locum work’ secured for August.

The letter addressed to Wes Streeting said: ‘While the Government’s pledge to create an additional 1,000 training posts over three years is welcome, it is far from sufficient.’

It added: ‘Thousands of newly qualified doctors, trained at great personal cost and national investment, are poised to enter unemployment while the health service struggles under immense clinical demand.’

The organisations that signed the letter, many representing international doctors, also pointed out the ‘false hope’ that the Government’s expansion of the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) exam could give international medical graduates (IMGs).

‘The PLAB test capacity has expanded significantly, yet there is no guarantee of suitable employment or career progression once these doctors arrive. 

‘This practice risks creating false hope, financial hardship, and brain drain in countries already struggling with healthcare workforce shortages, while adding to the oversupply crisis in the UK.’

Dr Anita Sharma, chairperson of BIDA’s Women’s Health Forum, commented that she had recently spoken to a Nigerian doctor who had decided against training in England because of the absence of opportunities and limited progression.

‘The doctor was fleeing domestic violence and persecution and wanted to give something back to the country who had sheltered her, but with a young daughter to care for and no guarantee of a job, she is now working – in admin.’

The doctors also called for the role of physician associates to be clarified – so that they support rather than replace fully-trained medics – and for a redistribution of resources to make sure rural areas had a sufficient number of medics.

The letter concluded by warning the health secretary that without ‘decisive intervention’ from the Government, swathes of young doctors would be lost to the NHS – ‘not from lack of talent or commitment, but because the system failed to offer them a viable future’.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care told Pulse: ‘The training bottlenecks we inherited are unfair to doctors, which is why this government is ensuring current first-years will emerge from their foundation training into a transformed landscape. 

‘We have already reformed GP funding to create an extra 2,000 GP roles and we’re creating 1,000 extra speciality training places over the next three years.

‘We’re also prioritising UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period for specialty training – all alongside providing the biggest pay rise for resident doctors in decades.’

Earlier this month, a Pulse exclusive revealed that two-thirds of GPs were considering working overseas, tempted by increased pay, improved conditions and a better work-life balance. 

The BMA and RCGP have also urged the health secretary to involve them in developing a new 10-year workforce plan, which is due to be published this year.