# Hancock to set new deadline for 5,000 extra GPs



## Northerner (Jul 11, 2019)

Health and social care secretary Matt Hancock could set a new deadline by the end of the year for adding 5,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) GPs to the NHS workforce.

The health and social care secretary told MPs on the House of Commons health select committee that he could set a new deadline as part of the final NHS People Plan.

He admitted that the 2020 deadline for adding 5,000 GPs to the workforce set by his predecessor Jeremy Hunt had slipped because 'there wasn't enough focus on retention'.

Responding to the comments, BMA GP committee chair Dr Richard Vautrey told _GPonline_ that although a new deadline may 'focus minds', it was no substitute for 'fundamental steps to address recruitment and retention' in general practice.

*GP workforce*
An interim people plan published in June promised incentive schemes to boost the GP workforce. The final version, which will aim to tackle 'once in a generation workforce challenges' faced by the NHS, is expected to emerge after the government's next spending review - potentially later this year.

https://www.gponline.com/hancock-set-new-deadline-5000-extra-gps/article/1590516

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## grovesy (Jul 11, 2019)

Has he got a magic GP tree?


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## Abi (Jul 11, 2019)

They need to sort out the ridiculous pension/ tax mess , which currently dictates that once pension growth reaches a threshold then huge amounts of income tax are payable- when the pension pot is still not accessible
Some doctors are having to take out second mortgages to pay the tax bill. Probably many consider this a very upper middle class privileged position to be in but there is no point in having a gold plated pension scheme then coming up with the daft idea of large tax liabilities when the money is not available. Must be a more sensible way of doing things even reducing tax relief on larger  pension contributions or taxing lump sum once it is claimed.. current problem means that some people are reducing their hours - daft


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## nonethewiser (Jul 11, 2019)

grovesy said:


> Has he got a magic GP tree?



Must have, the 5k is wishful thinking.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Jul 11, 2019)

Where's he going to conjure them up from!?


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## mikeyB (Jul 11, 2019)

It took me 4 years after graduating to train as a GP. That’s on top of 5 years to graduate. By my calculations that’s 2028 minimum for these 5000 GPs, unless you steal them from other countries, and who will want to do that?


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## everydayupsanddowns (Jul 11, 2019)

mikeyB said:


> It took me 4 years after graduating to train as a GP. That’s on top of 5 years to graduate. By my calculations that’s 2028 minimum for these 5000 GPs, unless you steal them from other countries, and who will want to do that?



I suspect the same will be true for the shortfall of nurses too. Especially since the bursary has been scrapped.


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## mikeyB (Jul 12, 2019)

The bursary hasn’t been scrapped in Scotland. And nurses get paid more.


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## everydayupsanddowns (Jul 12, 2019)

mikeyB said:


> The bursary hasn’t been scrapped in Scotland. And nurses get paid more.



And prescriptions are free. And they were fast out of the gates prescribing Libre too. Plus... Scotch

Let's all move there!


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