Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, What steps his Department plans to take to help ensure GPs can return to work after periods of ill health.

NHS England has made available retention schemes to boost the general practitioner (GP) workforce, including the GP Return to Practice programme. This scheme provides a safe, supported pathway for qualified GPs who have previously been on the General Medical Council GP Register and NHS England’s Medical Performers List to return to National Health Service General Practice after an absence of more than two years. It has been developed together with Health Education England, and in partnership with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and British Medical Association to ensure the best practical and financial support for GPs.

A national support team means each GP has access to a dedicated account manager and contact point to support them through the entire process. This includes advice on completing forms and paperwork, and assistance with arranging occupational health assessments.

In 2020, NHS England, in collaboration with the RCGP, launched the “#LookingAfterYouToo: and the #LookingAfterYourTeam coaching support services. These services provide access to mental health services to all primary care workers, managers and leaders employed or contracted to deliver work on behalf of the NHS.

This is available in addition to the NHS Practitioner Health, a service for doctors and dentists across England with mental illness and addiction problems, who are working or looking to return to clinical practice.