GP vacancies double in a year
Released 17/01/2012
The number of GP vacancies at practices has doubled within the past year, fuelling fears that the industry is experiencing a recruitment crisis
Fifty six per cent of the practices reported having tried to recruit a GP partner or a salaried GP in the past year
The number of GP vacancies in practices across the country has doubled within the past year, with some 56% of practices reporting having attempted to recruit a GP partner or salaried GP within the last twelve months.
In a study conducted by Pulse, a survey of 250 practices found an average 4.2% vacancy rate for GPs, with more than half the positions remaining vacant for longer than three months.
Fifty six per cent of the practices, that cover 1,438 GP positions between, reported having tried to recruit a GP partner or a salaried GP in the past year – with only two-thirds of them stating that they were able to fill the role with an adequate candidate the first time around.
The survey also found that the difficulty in filling GP positions has led to disruption in practices – with 26% of the practices surveyed reporting an increased use of locums, 18% cutting appointments and 10% struggling to fill duty-doctor shifts.
The survey also found that there was a 16% fall in applications for GP positions since the last time a GP post was advertised, with a quarter of the practices that responded stating that they had experienced a fall in applications by half.
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