Cumbria GP shortage: £755K to attract foreign doctors

Cumbria offered GPs an "excellent" work/life balance, the CCG said

More than £750,000 is to be spent trying to recruit foreign GPs to a county facing a shortage.

North Cumbria Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has been awarded the funding as part of a pilot project to attract 2,000 new doctors nationally.

The CCG wants to recruit 25 doctors to west, north and east Cumbria.

Director of primary care Caroline Rea said the initiative was a "really positive step to tackle the challenges around GP recruitment".

"This scheme will introduce these international GPs to our part of the world and the excellent work/life balance the county has to offer," she said.

The GPs will undertake work placements and must go through an "induction and refresher" process before they can work independently in the UK.

Many doctors' surgeries in the county had offered to provide the training needed, the CCG said.

The scheme is also helping overseas GPs and their families integrate socially and supporting them to stay in the country in the long term.