General Practitioners: Workforce

Monday 5th March 2018 Lords Chamber

Question

14:43

Asked by

[Baroness McIntosh of Pickering]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of general practitioners taking early retirement; and what steps they are taking to increase the size of the general practitioner workforce.

[Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Con)]

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In doing so, I refer to my registered interest.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Lord O'Shaughnessy) (Con)]

My Lords, in the 2016-17 pension scheme year, 721 GPs took early retirement, representing 62% of all GP retirements. However, it should be noted that many GPs who take their NHS pension then return to service. Early retirement does not necessarily mean a loss of skills and experience to the NHS. We recognise, however, the need to increase the general practice workforce, which is why the Government remain committed to delivering an additional 5,000 doctors working in general practice by 2020.

[Baroness McIntosh of Pickering]

My Lords, we appear to be in a vicious cycle of doctors retiring early and then coming back and working part-time and fewer EU doctors coming to work here. What can my noble friend do to increase the number of doctors wishing to enter GP practice as opposed to other specialties, and what will the certification procedure be for EU doctors to be recognised as doctors to practise post Brexit in this country?

[Lord O’Shaughnessy]

I thank my noble friend for her question. It is interesting to note, looking at the figures, that the total number of retirees from general practice has been falling in recent years, which is very welcome, even though in the past few years there has been an increase in the number taking early retirement. As for entering general practice, that is how we need to get more GPs. The number of training places has increased to a record 3,250, which is an 18% increase over the past three years. Finally, on certification, mutual recognition of professional qualifications is of course a matter for negotiation as part of our future relationship with the EU. However, I can tell my noble friend that the Government are committed, under whatever circumstances, to recruit 2,000 international GPs in the coming years.

[Baroness Thornton (Lab)]

My Lords, I declare an interest as a lay member of a CCG. GPs are indeed retiring before the age of 60; in fact, last year, twice as many retired as three years ago. More GPs are leaving the profession than are joining it, and soaring numbers of junior doctors are leaving the NHS after their two-year foundation training. How do the Government intend to fill the failing pipeline of junior doctors, and would the Minister care to speculate why there is a flood of departing junior doctors right now? Could it be due to junior doctors’ rock-bottom level of morale after their shabby treatment by the Secretary of State?

[Lord O’Shaughnessy]

The noble Baroness might be interested to note that in 2014, the number of GPs in specialty training was 2,671, and in 2017, it was 3,157—an increase of nearly 400. That is how we are filling the places.

[Lord Carlile of Berriew (CB)]

Is the Minister aware of the increasing number of inner-city general practices where the entire GP workforce consists of locum doctors because of recruitment problems? Does he agree that that is an expensive way to provide GPs, and one which diminishes the doctor-patient relationship?

[Lord O’Shaughnessy]

I agree with the noble Lord: we need to crack down on agency and locum spend. That has been falling in recent years. The way we will fix this issue and the demand for general practice in a sustained way is to increase the number of GPs coming into the service, and, as I said, that is exactly what we are doing.

[Baroness Jolly (LD)]

My Lords, there should be a move to recruit newly-qualified doctors to general practice and to prevent GPs retiring earlier and earlier, but that is not as easy as it sounds. Can the Minister therefore tell the House what work has been done to enable job-sharing, so that part-time GPs balancing a family life can partner with older GPs who want a less full-time commitment?

[Lord O’Shaughnessy]

I shall have to write to the noble Baroness with the specifics on GP flexibility. However, one of the reasons that GPs take early retirement to take advantage of their pension is that it enables them to work flexibly afterwards.

[Baroness Redfern (Con)]

My Lords, regarding the workforce, having pharmacists in GP practices means that GPs can focus their skills where they are most needed: diagnosing and treating patients with more complex needs. Does the Minister agree that this not only helps GPs manage demands on their time but helps to ease their workload, while patients have the convenience of being seen by the right professional, improving quality of care and ensuring patient safety?

[Lord O’Shaughnessy]

My noble friend is absolutely right. As well as our commitment to increase the number of GPs by 5,000, we also have a commitment to increase the number of GP practice staff by 5,000, including 1,500 pharmacists, who provide exactly the kind of support she outlined.

[Lord Turnberg (Lab)]

My Lords, one of the reasons why general practice is less attractive than it used to be is because of the enormous bureaucratic load that is placed on GPs nowadays. They have to sit on committees and on CCGs, and they rush around doing non-clinical work. Is there any way to reduce this non-clinical workload?

[Lord O’Shaughnessy]

That is an important issue. We know that workload is a problem. I point the noble Lord and other noble Lords to NHS England’s 10 high-impact actions. These are actions which all GP surgeries can take; for instance, using technology such as e-booking and e-prescribing to reduce the kind of workload he is talking about.

[Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Con)]

My Lords, does my noble friend not acknowledge that one reason that GPs are retiring after the age of 55 is that their salaries are such that their pension exceeds the limit, which the previous Chancellor reduced from £1.8 million to £1 million, and they find themselves having to pay tax on their pension contributions at 55%? Would not the simple solution be to raise the threshold, thereby allowing GPs to continue in practice and not be taxed on their pension contributions unfairly?

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

My noble friend is quite right—there has been anecdotal evidence that that is the case. Of course, any policy changes are well above my pay grade, but I should point out that that does not seem to have affected early retirement among dentists and consultants, so it is possible that another critical factor is at work.

[Lord Patel (CB)]

My Lords, it is suggested that part of the reason for the failure of junior doctors to be recruited as GPs is the nature of GP contracts, which treat them as independent contractors. I know that several are now employed as salaried doctors, but do we have figures for how many salaried GPs, as opposed to principal general practitioners, are employed by the NHS?

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

That is an evolving model, as the noble Lord has pointed out, and I will write to him with the exact figures. The partnership model has an enduring popularity and importance, which is why the Secretary of State has asked for a review of it. However, as we see new models of care develop, I am sure that salaried GPs will become more of a feature of the system.

[Lord Roberts of Llandudno (LD)]

My Lords, many refugee medical trainees are coming over. Is there no way that we could help them finish their medical courses and then deploy their skills in this country before it is safe for them to return to their country of origin?

[Lord O'Shaughnessy]

The noble Lord has asked that question before. He will be pleased to know that there is specific help for refugees and others through waiving fees for language courses and other elements of the professional qualification process, and we can bring those into practice as soon as possible.