19th January 2015
The Government has announced a potential 31% cut in GP trainee pay, a move which could deliver the profession’s already troubled recruitment standing a critical blow. The supplement, introduced to ensure GP trainees received pay equitable to other speciality trainees, is now under review.
The BMA has been openly critical of the Government’s decision. In its submission to the Doctors and Dentists Review Body, it said that the move could exacerbate recruitment problems, adding that the 50% target for medical students choosing general practice is already ‘ambitious in the current climate’. Last year, despite an all-out recruitment drive, just 2,688 GP trainees were recruited, leaving almost 400 posts unfilled. The considerable reduction in salary that would come with the supplement’s removal would be a ‘huge disincentive’, with the BMA adding that the potential cuts could make a GP career impossible for prospective trainees with financial or family commitments.
“Removing the GP training supplement would result in a significant pay differential between GP and hospital specialty trainees. This is likely to result in medical graduates continuing to predominantly opt for hospital specialty posts, leaving general practice with the substantial recruitment and retention problems it is currently facing.”