Call to tackle GP crisis by giving medical students more exposure to general practice

Ring-fenced funding should be provided to support a radical expansion of the time medical students spend in general practice, according to plans for tackling severe GP shortages across the country.

At least 50 GP practices should be funded to provide places for interns on a rotating basis during the year, thereby training at least 200 interns yearly, the report recommends.

Against the background of a growing GP workforce crisis, the report by bodies involved in training family doctors highlights the low visibility of general practice at undergraduate level in the country’s medical schools, makes recommendations to promote it as a positive career choice and proposes a clinical academic training pathway for the discipline.

“Not enough graduates of Irish medical schools select general practice as a career, which leaves our long-term workforce planning in a highly vulnerable position,” according to Fintan Foy, chief executive of the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP), one of the authors of the report. “This joint report with the Association of University Departments of General Practice in Ireland sets out 14 recommendations to change that.”

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Significant differences in the number of European Union medical student graduates going on to apply for a career in general practice are identified in the report, with rates varying from 25 per cent to 55 per cent.

“The reasons for this are not fully understood but given the urgency in the GP workforce crisis, clearly steps need to be taken to address this discrepancy,” according to the report, to be published on Saturday.

“Securing sufficient high-quality GP clinical placements for medical students, ensuring GP is more visible in the undergraduate curriculum and providing opportunities for GP trainees/registrars and interns to be more visible to medical students are key priorities in tackling the GP workforce crisis in Ireland.”

Last year, 13 GP posts serving a population of 17,000 people remained unfilled on a permanent basis for more than a year, with remote and underprivileged areas worst affected.

The number of GP training places is being increased from 208 in 2020, to 285 this year and 351 in 2026. The ICGP says it is imperative these expanded places are filled by suitably qualified medical school graduates.

The health service is facing a severe shortage of GPs, and this is causing “significant challenges” in providing timely and high-quality care to patients, according to Prof Brian Kinirons, medical director, National Doctors Training and Planning.

“One of the key messages of the report is the need for a national funding model to support undergraduate general practice placements for medical students in all medical schools. The report also highlights the importance of developing a strong clinical academic training pathway for Irish general practice to support the academic arm of GP and improve the quality of patient care.”

These changes will require significant investment and support to be enacted, he warned.