Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce an incentive scheme for newly-qualified doctors to take up practice in deprived communities.

It is the responsibility of National Health Service trusts to determine their local workforce needs and NHS trusts have worked hard to deliver a new flexible workforce to meet the ebbs and flows of patient demand. NHS Improvement is working with NHS trusts to support and improve how they manage their existing workforce more flexibly.

The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme is a national incentive scheme which funds a £20,000 salary supplement to attract general practitioner (GP) trainees to work in areas of the country where GP training places have been unfilled for a number of years which may include deprived communities. 238 places were filled in 2016 and 2017. 265 places have been made available in 2018.