§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners were connected to NHSnet as at the end of March. [65057]
§ Mr. LammyAt the end of March 2002 there were 8,584, 98 per cent., of general practitioners' practices in England were connected to NHSnet out of a total of 8,725.
§ Jim DowdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to encourage recruitment of general practitioners to serve in the London Borough of Lewisham. [73237]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Government are committed to increasing the National Health Service workforce, getting more doctors and nurses into the areas that need them most. We are providing financial and other incentives to support this. These include Golden Hello payments of up to £10,000 to general practitioners (GPs) new to the NHS in under-doctored areas, more flexible employment arrangements through personal medicial services (PMS) and a £55 million package to improve primary care premises in deprived parts of the country.
In London we have established the pan London action group involving all the key stakeholders with regard to the recruitment and retention of GPs in London. This group is overseeing and monitoring the plans which the workforce development confederations have developed in order to recruit and retain the additional GPs we need.
These plans comprise of a number of actions including;
Increasing the number of GPs through dynamic PMS proposals
Additional GPs as a result of more training places
Additional GPs from an increased conversion rate
GPs returning through the retainers scheme and extending GPs working lives
International recruitment including recruiting from refugee and asylum seekers.
The south east workforce development confederation's plan, which incorporates the London Borough of Lewisham, incorporates all of the above and builds on particular successes in terms of international recruitment and PMS pilots.