PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Primary Health Care: Staff (20 June 2022)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking steps to (a) ensure that there is a sufficient workforce in primary care and (b) promote the wellbeing of GPs and their staff, including ensuring they have adequate opportunities to rest in order to reduce the risk of burnout.

Asked by:
Feryal Clark (Labour)

We are working with NHS England and NHS Improvement, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England. In March 2022, there were an additional 1,462 full-time equivalent doctors in general practice, compared to March 2019. Since 2019, over 18,000 additional staff have been recruited into Primary Care Networks and practices in a range of roles, such as clinical pharmacists. In 2021/22, 4,000 trainees accepted a place for general practitioner (GP) training – an increase from 2,671 in 2014. GP trainees support fully qualified GPs, which can ease workloads and increase capacity.

We are also working with the National Health Service and the profession to support GPs and improve their working environment. In collaboration with the Royal College of General Practitioners, NHS England and Improvement have launched the ‘Looking after you too’ and ‘Looking after your team’ coaching support services. These provide access to mental health services to all primary care workers, managers and leaders employed or contracted to deliver services on behalf of the NHS. This in addition to NHS Practitioner Health, a service for doctors and dentists in England with mental illness and addiction problems, who are working or planning to return to clinical practice.

Answered by:
Maria Caulfield (Conservative)
27 June 2022