Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

GP Recruitment

Tuesday 1 November 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The number of doctors in general practice has increased from 34,729 in September 2019 to more than 37,000 in September 2022.
  • There is a targeted fund offering grants of up to 20,000 to attract GPs to areas where recruitment is difficult.
  • The MinisterWithamPriti Patel

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Clive Efford Lab Eltham and Chislehurst
NHS
Context

The number of GPs in the UK is not meeting the target, affecting healthcare delivery. The Department has committed to recruiting 6,000 more GPs by 2024 but progress is slow.

Question

What progress his Department has made on recruiting 6,000 more GPs by 2024. I recently met representatives of the local GP network in my constituency who described to me their difficulties in employing GPs. What can the Secretary of State do to ensure that people choose to go into general practice and to make the job much more attractive, so that he hits his target of recruiting 6,000 more GPs, which he is woefully way off doing?

Answer from Steve Barclay

We are making progress on increasing numbers. The number of doctors in general practice has increased over the past three years, from 34,729 in September 2019 to more than 37,000 in September this year. There are parts of the country where it is more difficult to recruit GPs; that is why we have a targeted fund to attract people into those areas, with grants of up to £20,000.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures and timeline for attracting 6,000 more GPs by 2024 were not addressed.

How: Touched On That Exact Point In An Earlier Answer

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Q2 Clive Efford Lab Eltham and Chislehurst
NHS
Context

The number of GPs in the UK is not meeting the target, affecting healthcare delivery. The Department has committed to recruiting 6,000 more GPs by 2024 but progress is slow.

Question

I am grateful for that answer. I recently met representatives of the local GP network in my constituency who described to me their difficulties in employing GPs. What can the Secretary of State do to ensure that people choose to go into general practice and to make the job much more attractive, so that he hits his target of recruiting 6,000 more GPs, which he is woefully way off doing?

Answer from Steve Barclay

I touched on that exact point in an earlier answer. There are parts of the country where it is more difficult to recruit GPs; that is why we have a targeted fund to attract people into those areas, with grants of up to £20,000. Alongside the appointment of GPs, we are also looking at using the wider primary care skills workforce.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures and timeline for attracting 6,000 more GPs by 2024 were not addressed.

How: Looking At This, Under Review

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Q3 Priti Patel Con Witham
NHS
Context

There is a need to improve healthcare access and services, particularly in constituencies like Witham. The health hub initiative aims to bring more GPs and health workers together.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend tell me how patients in the Witham constituency will benefit from the really important investment in more GPs and GP training? And if he cannot tell me today, will he write to me about the progress being made on the Witham health hub, through which more health workers and GPs need to come together to serve the local community?

Answer from Steve Barclay

I am grateful for that question. The plan for patients, which was set out by my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Suffolk Coastal (Dr Coffey), addressed the issue that my right hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Priti Patel) raises on behalf of her constituents.

Not addressed: Specific benefits and progress details were not provided.

How: Grateful For That Question

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