International Recruitment of GP’s

Doctor Ed Ng, one of our OHP Partners,  is leading a piece of work recruiting GPs from overseas. NHSE announced that there was funding to support recruitment and training of GPs and asked health systems to submit proposals – Doctor Bavna Kallan is the OHP Board member who leads workforce worked with Dr Ng in compiling the bid and we are pleased that the overall bid has been successful.  Dr Ng says “this is really encouraging, we cannot lose sight of the fact that we are facing a crisis in workforce numbers and we need to be thinking ‘outside the box’  – I hope you find the following interesting – this is the statement that is been released on the CCG’s newsletter”

 

International Recruitment of GPs

As you are no doubt aware, practices across Birmingham and Solihull (BSol) have severe problems in GP recruitment. This problem will increase and our workforce projections over the next five years predict a shortfall of 136 full time equivalent GPs. Among our various GP workforce initiatives is a proposal to NHS England (NHSE) for £3.6 million to recruit 100 GPs from Europe to work in BSol. Our proposal aims to recruit these GPs in three waves by March 2020.

 

Our proposal has been approved in full by NHS England. There are of course many challenges (e.g. implications of Brexit to the attractiveness of working in UK), but if successful, we will be able to reduce significantly the GP workforce issues in BSol. Over the next months, representatives from across the three CCGs will be engaging with general practice to discuss the details of this project.

 

If anyone has any questions or would like to know more, please contact Dr Edward Ng, Clinical Lead for Primary Care Quality, NHS Birmingham CrossCity CCG.