NEWS IN BRIEF

LOBBYING EFFORTS TO SECURE IMG TRAINEES INDEFINITE LEAVE TO REMAIN

The College is stepping up its efforts in lobbying the Home Office and others for GP trainees from overseas to be given indefinite leave to remain on completion of their GP training in the UK. At the very least, it is calling for overseas GPs to be given a three-month visa extension after CCT to allow them to secure sponsorship for employment in UK general practice.

Kipper Williams

College Chair Martin Marshall wrote to the former Home Secretary about this, and Vice Chair for Professional Development Margaret Ikpoh gave powerful evidence to the Health Select Committee on the issue and the consequences both for the trainees affected and general practice. The issue was widely covered in the national media.

Giving GP trainees from overseas indefinite leave to remain would bring general practice in line with other medical specialties that have training programmes five years or longer. It would also remove a barrier to IMG trainees, who have trained in the UK, leaving NHS general practice because of difficulties securing visa sponsorship.

This is a top priority for the College and Martin and Margaret have written another open letter to new Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, calling on the Home Office, calling on the Home Office to find a national solution to address this matter with urgency. At time of publication, more than 4,200 GPs, trainees and retired GP had signed the letter, to put further pressure on the Government to take action. 

MINISTER VISITS VETERAN FRIENDLY ACCREDITED PRACTICE

The College’s innovative Veteran Friendly Accredited Scheme had a boost in July when Minister for Veterans’ Affairs at the time, and a veteran himself, Johnny Mercer MP, visited the Atlantic Medical Group in Penzance, hosted by College Member and champion of the project, Matthew Boulter (pictured: Mercer, centre; Boulter, far right).

Former Minister for Veterans Affairs Johnny Mercer MP (centre) visits Atlantic Medical Group

Cabinet Office

Being ‘Veteran Friendly Accredited’ supports practices to deliver the care veterans need for their unique health needs. An evaluation by the University of Chester revealed that it leads to better healthcare for veterans and is recommended by 99% of practice staff.

What started out as a Midland Faculty project, now has more than 1,500 practices signed up. The scheme was conceived by Iraq veteran and GP Mike Brookes, taken forward by former College Hon Sec Jonathan Leach and Brigadier (Ret’d) Robin Simpson and is now being rolled out across England with support from NHS England. It’s designed with busy practice teams in mind and includes a simple process for coding veteran patients and information about supporting and referring veterans to specialist services.

Find out more about how your practice can become Veteran Friendly Accredited on the RCGP website 

NEW COLLEGE WEBSITE GOES LIVE

We hope you’re noticing improvements to the RCGP website (rcgp.org.uk). The re-design reflects the views of College members across the UK. As well as being more user-friendly and easier to navigate, it showcases the ‘stories’ of individual members at all career stages.

It is also compatible with phones, iPads and other mobile devices and there are significant improvements in digital accessibility.

Over the coming months we will continue to improve the site, expanding the content and functionality. 