Thank you for contacting me about GP services.
I know that the Government remains committed to increasing the number of doctors in general practice and is determined to deliver this as soon as possible. The number of GP training places has increased, with 4,032 trainees accepting a place in 2022, compared to 2,671 in 2014.
Work is ongoing with NHS England, Health Education England and the profession to increase recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice.
The updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new retention schemes alongside continued support for existing schemes for the general practice workforce. In areas where there are GP vacancies, the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme provides a £20,000 salary supplement to attract GP trainees.
The Government is also taking steps to support the recruitment of GPs from overseas. In 2020, the Home Office launched the Health and Care Visa, with the aim of making it easier, cheaper and quicker for health workers – including GPs - to be recruited in the NHS.
To increase the workforce further, GP surgeries are being encouraged to become approved Home Office approved sponsors, helping more international medical graduates to be retained as GPs.
As part of the Autumn Statement, I welcomed the Government's announcement that a NHS workforce plan will be developed to consider how many staff will be required over the next 15 years to meet patient need, including General Practice.
During 2023, the Government intends to publish a Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, which will set out how practices and Primary Care Networks (PCNs) will be supported to improve access during 2023/24.
In the meantime, recent changes to the GP Contract are designed to improve capacity, increase flexibility in how funding is allocated and accelerate the adoption of new technology.
To reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for GPs to free up time for appointments, the Government has expanded the range of healthcare professionals who can sign fit notes and published the bureaucracy busting concordat. Practices will have greater flexibility to hire Mental Health Practitioners and Advanced Clinical Practitioner Nurses through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.
From 2025, it will be mandatory for GP practices to use cloud-based telephony (CBT), so that patients have a better experience of contacting them, and data can be generated to support practices to gain insight and improve their responsiveness further.
I fully recognise that there is more that can be done to support the retention of GPs. As part of the GP Contract for 2023-24, the four session-cap within the GP retention scheme – which was lifted during the pandemic – will now be removed permanently. NHS England is also currently carrying out a review of the GP recruitment and retention scheme.
Thank you again for contacting me.
Craig Whittaker MP
March 2023