GP incentives 'not the answer' to recruitment, experts say

The British Medical Association estimates Wales needs to be recruiting 200 trainee GPs a year

Financial incentives should not be the answer to attracting doctors into general practice, experts have said.

GPs and health planners are waiting to hear if the Welsh government will back their calls to help areas which have recruitment problems.

But Prof John Bligh, head of Cardiff University's school of medicine, said incentives had variable results.

A health board executive director for primary care said it was not the "golden bullet answer".

Hywel Dda University Health Board recently stepped in to directly manage two GP practices after they struggled to replace retiring doctors.

Catherine Davies, from the health board, said: "It's about offering career development. We want to attract the brightest, the best, the most driven.

"While it (incentives) is a helpful tool to have, it's by no means the golden bullet answer."

'Oppressive workload'

Prof Bligh added: "I would much rather doctors chose to work in an area because that's where they wanted to work, as opposed to having a debt reduction scheme or some similar process."

Over the last decade, the number of GPs in Wales increased by 10% to a total of 2,006, but that population is ageing and many family doctors are finding an increasing workload oppressive.

Dr Paul Myers, of the Royal College of General Practitioners in Wales, said: "I speak to a lot of GPs in the latter part of their career who say they can't wait to finish."

The British Medical Association has estimated Wales needs to be recruiting at least 200 trainee GPs a year to replace those retiring or going part-time.

But most years the current quota of 136 training places has not been filled.

Dr Ruth Hussey, chief medical officer for Wales, accepted there were pockets of Wales where recruiting GPs was challenging.

Ministers will publish a primary care workforce plan later this month which, Dr Hussey said, will look at overcoming the challenges to building a sustainable workforce and allow consultation on "what might work".

Listen to Eye on Wales on BBC Radio Wales, 12:30 BST, on Sunday 5 July