26 December 2014
Major Initiative to Encourage People to Apply for Places in General Practice Training
RCGP Chair, Dr Maureen Baker, has today written to thousands of trainee doctors in England, encouraging them to apply for a career as a GP.
This is the first time that the Chair of the RCGP has ever taken such a step on this scale, in a bid to address the chronic shortage of GPs in England.
In the letter, Dr Baker says: ‘There is now a real push to put more resources into general practice and build up the GP workforce. As a result, the future of general practice is looking bright…Please do consider joining me in this fantastic profession.’
The population in the UK is both growing and ageing, and patients are routinely presenting with multiple, chronic conditions, both physical and mental. GPs are making over 120,000 more patient consultations every day than they were in 2010.
The College estimates that 8,000 more GPs are needed in England by 2020 to cope with growing patient demand and deliver the care that patients need.
Read the letter [PDF]
Further Information
RCGP Press office: 020 3188 7574/7575/7581
Out of hours: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk
Notes
The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 50,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.