A recent article in Pulse contained some worrying statistics on GP numbers which will undoubtedly lead to upward pressure on locum costs.
The responses that such articles generate can be also be depressing. Comments such as ‘Young GPs should not sign up to a dying profession as a partner and either be salaried or even better leave the UK for better prospects elsewhere’are not uncommon.
We all know that statistics can be manipulated to prove almost any point. Even so, there does seem to be a consensus that practices are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain partners which is leading to a rise in locum costs and recruitment costs.
