Battle to retain GPs: defining “generalism” is key

The NHS workforce plan: building resilient teams and retention of senior clinicians must be prioritised

“…Professional resilience is a lifelong journey that starts in medical school3 and is therefore threatened by undergraduate curriculums shortened to four years 1. Resilience begins with supportive development of students’ vocation as a doctor plus the acquisition of practical consultation skills to deal with clinical uncertainty4 and to prepare for a “tsunami”2 of patient demand. Learning to deal with patients’ problems, expectations, and “lives” (that is, not just their diagnoses and drugs) calls for human—rather than technological—approaches to care plus well judged clinical restraint 4.…”

“…Resilience begins with supportive development of students’ vocation as a doctor plus the acquisition of practical consultation skills to deal with clinical uncertainty4 and to prepare for a “tsunami”2 of patient demand. Learning to deal with patients’ problems, expectations, and “lives” (that is, not just their diagnoses and drugs) calls for human—rather than technological—approaches to care plus well judged clinical restraint 4. The importance of improved upstream training and ongoing mentorship in strong teams is evident in the number of medical students and trainees considering alternatives to the NHS or to medicine itself.…”

There’s no shame in being “just a GP”

“…These commercial implications have been overlooked1 but will be swiftly recognised by a public that is increasingly feeling the absence of access to a GP. General practice has survived because it fulfils important clinical roles in society: managing early illness, triage, psychosocial care, supporting patient journeys, and well judged restraint 2. These roles are possible as consultants but a renaming exercise will paper over the cracks in primary care and open up market niches for private practice.…”