UK could turn to India for new GP recruitment drive

The United Kingdom may be about to embark on a refreshed recruitment drive for GPs from India to come and work for the NHS, subject to rigorous testing.

Doctors’ leaders have welcomed the contribution that Indian doctors can make to the NHS but criticised the government for its “failure” in attracting enough new doctors from the United Kingdom itself to join the profession.

Health Education England has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Apollo Hospitals Group in India to explore how both countries can benefit from a “mutual exchange of ideas.” Apollo offers a diploma in family medicine that is accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners.

Pulse magazine has reported that the Apollo group has been more specific about details, claiming that the group has said that there could also be an exchange of clinical staff to help improve the education and training of healthcare staff.

The UK relies heavily on foreign doctors; more than a third of its doctors (34.5%) were born aboard. Recruitment of doctors from India has been happening for decades, but the current suggestion is that there may be a particular focus on doctors entering general practice.

The government has pledged to recruit 5000 additional GPs to the NHS by 2020.

A spokeswoman for Health Education England said that it was working closely with NHS England to meet this target and added, “England and India have signed a memorandum of understanding as a starting point to exploring how both countries can benefit from the mutual exchange of ideas. The details of the MoU are still in discussion.”

The BMJ contacted Apollo Hospitals for a comment unsuccessfully, but Pulse magazine reported the group as saying, “We have signed this Memorandum of Understanding as a starting point to exploring how both countries can benefit from the mutual exchange of ideas and clinical staff in improving the education and training of healthcare staff and therefore the quality of care provided to patients.”

Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee, said that the move indicated that the government was struggling to meet its recruitment target.

“Doctors from overseas have always provided a valuable contribution to this country’s health system, especially as they undergo a rigorous assessment process to ensure they have the right skills for the NHS,” said Nagpaul.

“However, it is clearly an admission of failure that the government seems to have launched a new recruitment scheme overseas to plug what is clearly a widening gap in the number of home grown GPs in our workforce.”

Chandra Kanneganti, chair of the British International Doctors’ Association, told The BMJ, “The NHS has always relied on the enormous contribution of doctors from the Indian subcontinent, but these doctors should not just be fast tracked because we are in a GP recruitment crisis like this. Patient safety is paramount.”

The chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Maureen Baker, also welcomed interest from doctors outside the European Union wanting to work in the NHS but emphasised that they would first have to undergo GP specialty training and pass the college’s entrance assessment, as well as the General Medical Council’s Professional and Linguistics Assessments Board test.

“Any suggestions that they will simply be parachuted in to practise in the UK is grossly misleading,” said Baker. “If doctors from outside the UK can undergo and pass our rigorous assessment process, then we would welcome their skills and expertise in UK general practice.”