A fifth of trainee GPs planning to quit in 5 years

A FIFTH of trainee GPs aim to quit within five years, with many hoping to move to Dubai or Australia, research shows.

Those intending to stay on plan to only see patients an average of two-and-ahalf days a week. They want to spend the remainder of their time carrying out research, starting their own business or working in managerial roles.

The poll of 310 trainees comes after a major survey found four in ten qualified GPs were planning to quit in five years.

Amid a severe recruitment crisis in surgeries, the poll by Pulse magazine found 19 per cent of trainees said they would not be in surgeries in five years, including 14 per cent who hoped to move abroad. The remaining trainees wanted to switch to different roles or quit medicine altogether. Those who wanted to stay favoured part-time ‘portfolio careers’.

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs said: ‘The prospect of losing new GPs so early in their careers will be disastrous for patient care.’