Trainees hit target amid continued concerns of GP crisis

Health Education England (HEE) said that 4,032 GP trainees had been recruited – exceeding the 4,000 target for the second year running. In 2014, only 2,671 trainees entered training. HEE has been recruiting foundation year doctors, trust grade doctors and even consultants who want to retrain. In total, there were 9,628 trainees in GP placements in September, according to NHS Digital figures.

But David Smith, chair of the BMA’s GP trainees committee, said: ‘Since 2015 we have lost the equivalent of more than 1,800 full-time fully-qualified GPs in England, and the majority of these new recruits will take at least another three years to qualify. There is no point having record numbers coming in the front door if huge numbers are still leaving through the back. We need to make the job safe and rewarding again.’

Dr Smith warned that significant numbers of trainee GPs were already planning to work less than full time after completing their training, and there was a need to focus on retention – both of trainees once qualified and existing GPs. 

However, Simon Gregory, medical director, primary and integrated care at HEE, said it was ‘heartening’ that thousands of doctors saw general practice as a rewarding and valuable career.

‘We have consistently met or exceeded annual GP training targets and initiatives like the national “choose GP” campaign demonstrate our ongoing commitment to helping to provide a sustainable workforce,’ he added.

Health and social care secretary Steve Barclay said: ‘This pipeline of talent will strengthen our growing primary care workforce helping patients get appointments and access the right service at the right time.’

Figures released earlier this year showed that the number of full time equivalent GPs (excluding those in training) had fallen from 29,364 in September 2015 to 27,920 in September 2021.

And the Commons Health and Social Care Committee report, The future of general practice – published last month – said the number of full time equivalent fully qualified GPs had fallen by 717 between March 2019 and March 2022. It also pointed out that the then health and social care secretary Sajid Javid had said in June this year that the government was not on track to meet its commitment of recruiting 6,000 more GPs by 2024 and that doing so would be ‘very difficult’.

It said the recent increase in trainees was ‘encouraging’ but called for an additional 1,000 training places a year and for GP training to be lengthened to four years.