Mystery of “7000 extra doctors” explained

doi:10.1136/bmj.317.7154.300

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Caroline White

London

The 7000 “extra” doctors pledged for the NHS, will not be new doctors, it has been revealed. Rather, they will be derived from the current annual 2.3% expansion in the medical workforce, better recruitment and return measures, and a quota from overseas, over the next three years.

The figures, which also included 15000 additional nurses, were announced last month as part of the government's comprehensive spending review, which amounts to £21bn ($34bn) for the NHS spread over three years …