§ Mr. PriorTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the shortages of general practitioners and the action the Government are taking to encourage more doctors to(a) remain and (b) become general practitioners. [70082]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 10 February 1999]We believe that there is no overall shortage of general practitioners at present; and the supply of new GPs is adequate in the short term. However, there are difficulties 457W in certain localities at present and, potentially, more widespread problems in the future without effective action.
Recent policy initiatives to improve GP recruitment and retention include the salaried doctors scheme and Personal Medical Services Primary Care Act pilots, both of which provide opportunities for doctors to work in general practice in more flexible ways, without committing themselves to long-term financial investment, and to provide services in the areas where there is most need. They also include improvements to the GP retainer scheme, allowing GPs to work in general practice on a limited sessional basis, keeping in touch with practical and educational developments. On a longer time scale, the continuing support of out of hours developments is having a real impact on GPs' conditions and their morale.
In addition, we announced on 22 July 1998 that undergraduate medical school intake to United Kingdom universities would be increased by about 1,000 places, a 20 per cent. increase. Intake is now planned to rise from the 1997 level of 5,050, to about 6,000 places by 2005.