Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase the number of GPs in Stoke-on-Trent.

Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) have developed a workforce strategy and plan for the area. This focuses on increasing the numbers of general practitioners (GPs), and also in diversifying the skill mix within general practice, to include clinical pharmacists, advanced nurse practitioners, nurses, physician associates, urgent care practitioners, mental health therapists and physiotherapists, to provide high quality care for patients through alternative health professionals.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Sustainability and Transformation Partnership successfully bid to be an early wave site for GP international recruitment, which is to commence in July 2018.

A number of newly-qualified GPs have also been recruited to the area through a GP Fellowship scheme, which enables GPs to develop areas of specialist clinical interest. In 2018 there are also up to 18 £20,000 salary supplements available to GP trainees who commit to working for their three year speciality training in Stafford and Staffordshire as part of the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme.

The CCGs are also working with the BMJ to develop a marketing campaign to raise the profile of Staffordshire as a place to work and increase the recruitment rate for General Practice. The campaign will be for 12 months and is planned to start by early July 2018.

Schemes to improve GP retention are also currently being scoped in preparation to submit a bid for NHS England funding by the end of June 2018.