Overseas GPs to Be Recruited for UK 
 
The number of GPs is set to see a sharp increase, according to Simon Stevens’ international recruitment programme. The Chief Executive of NHS England announced his plans in July, which has aggressive acceleration targets to boost the current GP workforce.
                                                                                                        
This scheme was announced as official NHS figures showed that the number of full-time (equivalent) GPs working increased by less than 1% between March and June 2017. The original aim of the project was to recruit around 500-600 doctors into general practice in some of the hardest to recruit areas in England, with a deadline target of 2020/2021. These plans include recruitment costs, and the relocation and training of overseas doctors.
 
Tenders on the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) site also show that NHS England is calling for recruitment firms to support the programme.
 
 
Why the lack of GPs in the UK?
 
Well, despite GP training places increasing year-on-year and many GPs returning to practice, there is still a lack of doctors. A significant number of older GPs are retiring earlier, further reducing the number of doctors. Figures published by NHS Digitalshow a decrease of 542 GPs, as the figures dropped from 34,914 GPs in March 2016 to 34,372 in March 2017.
 
In attempts to combat this, Local Medical Committee(LMC) representatives are proposing to call on the General Practitioners Committee(GPC) to ask NHS England to invest in locum chambers in order to recruit and retain more GPs.
 
GP leaders have also proposed a new ‘locum plus’ way of working that would give structure to locums to work in rotation with a broad spectrum of practices, by the way of fixed-term salaried contracts.
 
These plans will be put forward by the sessional GPs subcommittee on Friday 10th November in London at the inaugural GPC England conference.
 
 
Locum chambers: a new way of working
 
An NASGPsurvey showed that 80% of locums said they were still GPs only because of chambers. Chairman of the NASGP, Dr Richard Fieldhouse told GPonlinethat locum chambers are a ‘fantastic vehicle to recruit and retain GP locums’, and he encourages plans to roll them out across the country.
 
Chambers - as a way of working - are often seen in other professional outfits like barristers, and they enable locums to keep their self-employed status whilst still having some support services by co-operative arrangements.
 
Dr Fieldhouse also said: ‘It’s much nicer working as a team, it’s more independent – GPs who work in chambers adore them, it is an excellent model. However, what we haven’t yet got right is the pricing, because they are very expensive to run.’
 
If you would like to register your interest in locum work then please email us at keylocums@keylocums.com or call us at 0844 561 0950.
We look forward to working with you soon.

We interviewed one of our full-time Locums about what it's like to be a GP, here's what he had to say.


How did you feel on your first day as a GP?
 
 It was somewhat daunting! As a GP registrar, there was always someone available to answer even the smallest of queries I had. As a fully qualified GP and having entered the ‘real’ world, I appreciated all the advice and guidance I had been given by my mentors during my training, which has been immensely useful.
 
 
How many years have you been practising medicine?
 
I have been a doctor now, for around 8 years or so.
 
 
What’s been the most challenging aspect of your profession? 
 
I really feel that the work load in general practice can be immense at times. Managing a patient in an allocated 10 minute consultation slot, is sometimes very tricky! Don’t forget, that in this time a GP will need to work out what the problems is by taking a history, they may need to examine the patient and then offer appropriate treatment. Furthermore, patients may need further investigations or referrals done. This can be very challenging to do in 10 minutes.
 
 
Do you have a particular work memory that stands out? 
 
Yes! A few years back, I had a patient with mental health problems, come back into surgery to personally thank me for taking the time to understand and relate to their circumstances. It is always lovely to see that the efforts we put in as medical professionals can make a positive difference to our patients. That’s what we’re here for after all!
 
 
If you wasn't a GP then what would you be?
 
Easy – It’d have to be as a recruitment consultant with Key Locums or possibly a Pilot, travelling the world and meeting new people; similar to being a GP, meeting different patient’s on a daily basis. This is why I locum as a GP, as I prefer to travel to different surgeries and areas.
 
 
Do you have any advice for our future generation of GP’s?
 
I feel that primary care is the back bone of the health service. Yes, it is difficult and very challenging at times, but it is immensely rewarding too! Always ensure that you have a good work- life balance, as burnout is a real risk. If you strike a good balance, you’ll thoroughly enjoy working as a GP/ANP.
 
 

If you would like to register your interest in locum work then please email us at keylocums@keylocums.com or call us at 0844 561 0950.
We look forward to working with you soon.

A coalition of health experts have drawn up a strategy to tackle the UK’s general lack of exercise across the country. Supposedly, the health complications that arise from the issue costs the economy an estimated £20bn per year, with the loss of around 37,000 lives.

The government, along with the NHS and organisation UKactive have created ‘Blueprint for an Active Britain’ a strategy to see the Department of Health, Work and Pensions to take action across the NHS, social services, public transport and the workplace to create a more physically active approach on-going to tackle the issue. Changing the public’s habits ahead of future health complications is a top priority.

A key recommendation from the pilot scheme is to introduce a trained physical activity professional into each GP surgery to help patients improve fitness, cardio-respiratory and mental health. The care will be delivered similarly to that of GPs’ access to physiotherapists for patients in need.

The coalition claim that the minimal costs to introduce the scheme will quickly off-set the on-going costs to treat in-active health issues, in that prevention is easier, and in this case cheaper, than treatment.

Tanni Grey-Thompson, UKactive’s chair, and British Paralympic champion said “We know that physical activity programmes only attract around 4% of public health funding at present. This is much lower than funding to tackle alcohol abuse, obesity and STDs, despite physical inactivity contributing to more premature deaths. It’s vital that helping people to establish good exercise habits is central to the NHS’s core business.”

For more information on GP's Jobs available at Key locums, click here - http://www.keylocums.com/job-search

With staff shortages on the rise, and posts being left vacant, research has been carried out by the Centre for Health Economics to find more about our GP’s education in the UK.
 
Based on the research results, less than a third (31%) of current UK-educated GP trainees attended private schools, the smallest representation of all medical specialties assessed. This compares to nearly half of all surgical trainees (44%), with 37% of medical trainees overall being privately educated.
 
69% of GP trainees are female, and the workforce looks to become more female-dominated in the coming years
 

Source: http://www.gponline.com/uk-gp-trainees-likely-state-education-specialties/article/1376133

The Royal College of General Practitioners has launched an advertising campaign to urge General Practitioners to take more breaks for the safety of patients.

The campaign, called ‘Put Patients First’, is designed to push patient’s safety, to counter increasing rates of fatigue amongst GPs.

The campaign comes off a recent RCGP discussion paper highlighting the level of growing fatigue amongst GPs as a threat to patients.

Dr Maureen Baker, RCGP Chair stated: “Most people would not get on a plane flown by a tired pilot, or jump on a train where they knew the driver had already worked a 12-hour day - and most patients would not choose to be the 40th or 50th patient at the end of a long day in surgery.

“Rising patient demand, excessive bureaucracy, fewer resources, and a chronic shortage of GPs are resulting in worn-out doctors, some of whom are so fatigued that they can no longer guarantee to provide safe care to patients. GPs are currently seeing too many patients a day to be safe and at the end of a long day in clinic, we will still have a mountain of paperwork to get through.”

Are you an overworked GP? Let us know

Your GP or General Practitioner is usually your first point of call for when you get sick. They are typically easy to organise an appointment with, which can be done by phoning up the doctor’s surgery you’re registered with and arranging to be seen at the next convenient time.

What many people don’t know is that GPs aren’t just there for diagnosing the common cold. They have been specially trained to recognise the symptoms for hundreds of things that can affect us.

Everyone knows that most illnesses are easier to treat when caught in the earlier stages, so it’s important to get yourself checked out if you notice that something’s not quite right…

1. Skin Lesions

Skin lesions such as moles, warts, bites, skin tags, and eczema can seem relatively harmless…and most of the time they are. But if you start to notice any unusual changes in them, you may need to visit your GP.

Look out for moles that don’t look like any of your other moles, unusual colouring, continued growth, uneven or uncertain borders, and odd shapes.

1. A Cough Lasting For More Than 3 Weeks

Coughs and colds are so common these days that many simply shrug them off and try to carry on with daily life as normal.

However, when a cough has been troubling you for more than 3 weeks, you may have cause to make an appointment with your GP. This is standard for most minor illnesses that shouldn’t last more than 2-3 weeks.

1. Unexplained Weight Loss

Although losing weight is commonly thought of as a positive thing, it can be negative when you are downsizing quickly through no real effort. It’s always worth getting yourself checked out as sudden dramatic weight loss can be caused by a number of things.

1. Unusual Bleeding

Blood has a clever way of telling us when something isn’t right in our bodies. You should visit your GP if:

• You find blood in your urine/stool
• You’re menstruating more often/for longer than usual
• Cuts are taking much longer to stop bleeding/heal

1. Unprotected Sex

Sometimes visiting a clinic can be an intimidating experience when you need to have your sexual health checked. If you’d like to be tested by someone you know personally and feel comfortable with, your GP can provide you with tests.

It’s important to remember that your GP is not there for emergencies. In extreme cases, always visit your nearest hospital A&E department or call 999 for an ambulance if required.

Similarly, it’s important to remember that the A&E department is for emergencies only and any minor sickness can be looked at by your GP who will refer you to a specialist if further action is needed.