GP Returner schemes

Last month (January), in a joint statement, the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) called on ministers to restore funding to GP Returner schemes that between 2002 and 2006 helped ease GP shortages by providing at work refresher training to doctors who had taken a career break of more than two years.

Applicants would normally spend 6-12 months treating patients under the supervision of local approved GPs and at the end of the scheme successful candidates would be certified to return to work. These locally run programmes returned an estimated 550 GPs to the NHS in four years at a fraction of the cost of training a new doctor from scratch.
    However, the Government withdrew central funding for the programme early in 2006 and refresher training has practically disappeared. The BMA and RGP state that this "nonsensical" situation has left doctors struggling to find employment, patients potentially without a GP and the NHS suffering under another pressure.
    
Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of the BMA's GPs Committee commented:

"At a time when the Department of Health is expecting a shortfall of 1,200 GPs in coming years, it is completely ludicrous to abandon a scheme with a proven track record of putting experienced GPs back into general practice. Everybody suffers as a result of this decision: the taxpayer loses their £300,000 investment in training a GP who cannot return to work, the patient potentially loses their right to see a GP and the doctor loses their career."

Summarizing GP leader's views he continued:

"There are many serious problems that arise from this short sighted cut, but we are especially concerned that mainly women are being left with a stark choice between beginning a family or having a career. The BMA and RCGP are closely monitoring the possible legal ramifications of this situation, as well as continuing to help all our members who have been left in career limbo - as shown by a dossier the BMA published late last year.

"There is, however, a simple way for the Government to solve all these problems: Reverse this indefensible cut."


Below is a case study (courtesy of the BMA) illustrating how one GP was affected by the Government's decision to effectively end funding for the GP Returner schemes. The GP wished to remain anonymous.

Dr Y (London)


After many years working as a GP in London, Dr Y left the UK five years ago to work in Africa and then France.

"I always found general practice in the UK hugely rewarding - to such an extent that I obtained an MA in General Practice before I left the country", Dr Y said. "However, a combination of circumstances let me have the opportunity to work in primary health care services in Africa, particularly with patients living with HIV. 

After completing a stint in Africa and a later tenure in France, Dr Y returned to the UK and hoped that her wide experience in general practice in two countries, along with her relevant MA and fluency in French would allow her to locate a practice in London where she could again work with, for example, refugee patients.

Dr Y said:

"There was no question I wanted to go back into general practice when I returned to the UK and I really felt my background, especially my work with people from sub Saharan Africa in HIV services, would be well used in certain areas of London".

Instead Dr Y's return has been characterised by a "catalogue of problems".

"No one denies that re-training under proper supervision is necessary and I was obviously happy with that", said Dr Y. "However, after sorting out my GMC registration - not easy itself - I've basically had a string of problems. Poor communication kicked things off, as no one seemed to know precisely what was going on when I first enquired about the scheme last year, and then it finally became obvious there was no money available for the scheme at all. I don't blame the deaneries who have done their very best to help, but their hands seemed to have been tied by Government decisions. The only option I've been given is a self funded programme with no income and no expenses cover. That just isn't a viable route for me."

Dr Y is now unable to practice clinically and feels demoralised by the whole experience.

"I have years of experience as a GP. I am competent clinically. I have specialist knowledge, both clinically and linguistically that could help some of the most vulnerable people in our society", Dr Y said. "And yet there is simply no way at present I can get back into the profession I really enjoy. It's completely undermining to one's confidence and it seems a total waste of the skills I have to offer. Which every way you approach the situation the conclusion must be the same: it simply doesn't make any sense".