NHS England Local GP Retention Fund - Update
You may recall, NHS England in May announced the £10 million Local GP Retention Fund, where £7 million is being made available through regional-based schemes to help GPs to stay in the workforce and the remaining £3 million to be used to establish seven intensive support sites across the country in areas that have struggled most to retain GPs.
Those seven intensive support sites across the country have now been selected, one in each of the seven NHS England new regions:
- The Black Country Sustainability and Transformation Partnership
- Mid and South Essex Sustainability and Transformation Partnership
- North Kirklees and Greater Huddersfield Clinical Commissioning Group
- Blackpool, Morecambe Bay and West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group
- Weston and Worle Locality (locality within Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG)
- Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group
- Newham Health Collaborative Ltd (North East London)
The intensive support sites will bring interventions together at different levels – personal support for GPs, practice support and system support / improvements – to achieve the greatest possible impact on the engagement and retention of local GPs.
A plan of action will be developed in consultation with local GPs and system leaders for each site following in-depth analysis of the particular issues being faced within the locality. Implementation will be closely be linked to existing national programmes of work being taken forward via the General Practice Forward View – including the Releasing Time for Care Programme [https://www.england.nhs.uk/gp/gpfv/redesign/gpdp/] - supported by initiatives locally to tackle the challenges faced.
The programme will be based on rapid action and learning so that quick wins and failures can be shared between and beyond the seven intensive support sites.
Sites have been selected using a variety of criteria, including the level of challenge that the area currently faces in recruiting and retaining GPs in the local workforce, the scale of impact and the level of engagement among local stakeholders.
If you have any questions regarding these sites contact england.primarycareworkforce@nhs.net.