General Practitioners: Training

(asked on 2nd March 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will work with Cabinet colleagues to introduce a bursary scheme for people who train as GPs and commit to a five-year tenure in local surgeries.


Answered by
Jo Churchill Portrait
Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This question was answered on 10th March 2020

We are considering a number of measures to increase the recruitment and retention of general practitioners (GPs) to deliver out manifesto commitment of 6000 more doctors in general practice, but there are no current plans to introduce a bursary scheme for all people who train as GPs to commit to a five-year tenure in general practice.

The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme (TERS) is an initiative that offers a one-off, payment of £20,000 to GP trainees committed to working in a select number of training places in England that have been hard to recruit to for the past three years. 276 places are currently being offered as part of 2019 recruitment round. TERS has proved highly successful in attracting GP trainees to the most under-doctored areas.

Trainees receive the TERS payment once they have signed an agreement to complete the three-year placement, with no relocation option. Should a trainee leave training before completing the three-year placement, they are required to make a pro-rata repayment of the payment.

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