GPs may get ‘golden hello’ in less popular areas
DOCTORS IN training will receive a ‘golden hello’ of £20,000 if they start their careers in the countryside or on the coast in a bid to boost the number of family doctors in areas with difficulty recruiting.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is to introduce a package of measures to help the struggling GP workforce. This includes a oneoff payment to try to entice 200 GPs who are beginning their careers to work in areas struggling to secure family doctors – such as rural practices and those by the seaside.
From 2018, surgeries in hard to recruit to areas will benefit from the new £4m scheme. Addressing the Royal College of GPs’ annual conference in Liverpool, Mr Hunt will also announce plans for flexible working for older GPs to encourage them to stay in the workforce for longer before retiring.
Meanwhile, he will confirm plans for an overseas recruitment office which will try to lure GPs from countries outside Europe – particularly Australia – to come and work in England.
The Department of Health has also launched a consultation on the regulation of physician associates (PAs) to provide further clarity on the scope of the role. It is hoped that these PAs – usually science graduates who have undergone two years of intensive training – can support healthcare teams across the country.
But concerns have previously been raised over plans to use more PAs to perform medical duties including examining patients, diagnosing illnesses and analysing test results.
Leading medics have warned the new posts should not be used as a way of replacing doctors.
In his speech to delegates, Mr Hunt will also try to address one of the main concerns facing the GP workforce – the rising costs of indemnity.
Mr Hunt will signal plans for a new state-backed scheme for clinical negligence indemnity for general practice in England.
Leeds-based Dr Richard Vautrey, BMA GP committee chair, said: “General practice is facing unprecedented pressure from rising workload, stagnating budgets and a workforce crisis that has left many parts of the country without enough GPs to treat patients.
“These proposals do appear to acknowledge the specific problems facing rural areas in England. But ‘golden hellos’ are not a new idea and unlikely to solve the overall workforce crisis.”