What is the Welsh Government doing to recruit and retain primary care practitioners?
The Welsh Government is committed to attracting and retaining a sustainable primary care workforce, recognising that a well-trained multidisciplinary workforce is essential to the delivery of high-quality services for patients. We have also committed to recruiting an additional 100 new salaried GPs to help strengthen services, including improving out-of-hours care.
To support multidisciplinary team recruitment in general practice recruitment, the dedicated GPWales website enables practices to advertise and manage vacancies free of charge, providing a single advertising point. Vacancies advertised on GPWales are also posted on NHS Jobs, increasing visibility and supporting faster recruitment across practices and clusters.
Retention of primary care contractors is supported through actions in the Strategic Workforce Plan for Primary Care. The Plan outlines a range of national initiatives to support wellbeing and flexible working arrangements and preceptorship, mentoring and support for those new to primary care.
The GP retainer scheme is intended as short-term support for GPs who have family commitments or health problems which restrict them from working in general practice. The scheme supports continued participation in the workforce, alongside financial support for practices hosting retainers. Around 30 GPs access the scheme every year.
We are strengthening the pipeline into primary care through sustained investment in education and training, alongside targeted incentives and national campaigns such as Train, Work, Live to attract professionals into hard-to-recruit areas. In addition we are expanding the multidisciplinary workforce by supporting practitioners to work at the top of their licence through growing roles such as pharmacists, practice nurses and allied health professionals to improve access and reduce pressure on GPs.