A new campaign has launched to attract GPs from out of the area to come and join practices in Kent and Medway.
The ‘Be Here’ campaign is a joint piece of work between NHS Kent and Medway, the local medical committee, Kent and Medway primary care training hubs and practices, to encourage newly qualified GPs or those practising elsewhere to come to the area.
Rebecca Bradd, Chief People Officer at NHS Kent and Medway said: “GP recruitment is understood to be difficult across the country and we know that in Kent and Medway we have lower than average numbers of GPs. This is true particularly in our coastal areas, where health inequalities are greater. We are piloting a recruitment campaign, which targets areas most in need of GPs, with a package that gives an incentive to join and importantly, to stay by providing excellent training, development and the ability to build fulfilling careers and homes for GPs and their families”.
Simon Dunn, GP in Herne Bay and GP workforce lead for NHS Kent and Medway said: “Kent and Medway Medical School - opened in 2020 - is a brilliant pipeline to encourage new GPs to the area, but there is still a lot of competition for placements.
Kent and Medway is a fantastic place to be a GP; we have a supportive system and it’s wonderful to live and work here. We’ve done a lot of research with our GPs to understand what it is they enjoy about living and working in Kent and Medway and to make sure GPs in other parts of the country are aware of their reasons. We’ve also had excellent support from Kent County Council and Medway Council to help settle new recruits into the area.”
“This is an important programme and we welcome the support of the local NHS and other partners in getting it off the ground”, said Gaurav Gupta, Chair of the Kent Local Medical Committee. “GPs across Kent and Medway work incredibly hard but with increasing demand it’s important we attract new doctors to come and support us. We are sure this initiative will be a success in raising the profile of Kent and Medway as a great place to work and the benefits will be felt across the county.”
The campaign aims to recruit 20 new GPs to Thanet, Medway and Swale in the first phase. To find out more visit www.beherekentandmedway.co.uk
