Further to the changes in the 2020/21 GP contract announced in February this year, a two-year GP fellowship scheme will offer support to all newly qualified GPs worth £10,200 per year from 2021.
The funding is made up of £7,200 by means of reimbursement for one session a week of learning and development, plus £3,000 to cover CPD and admin costs. Practices should start to plan for this now in terms of recruiting for 2021 as this will take planning on the Practices’ behalf to make this work in terms of financial balance.
A two-year fellowship in general practice will be offered as a guaranteed right to all GP trainees on completion of training. From 2021, GP trainees will automatically be enrolled and be expected to enter the fellowship programme on qualification. I am delighted to see that this fellowship will also be available to all newly qualified nurses which I feel is a great step forward in recognising the importance of the multidisciplinary approach in primary care.
The aim is for the fellowships to have a real focus on working across Primary Care Networks (PCNs), as working at scale can provide more of a portfolio career. This could allow GPs to specialise in a particular field such as minor ops, mental health or care of the elderly in care homes, that may not be possible whilst working in one Practice.
It is hoped that the programme will help Practices, PCNs and ICS’s/STPs to recruit and retain GPs and nurses in the challenging times we continue to face.
This initiative is alongside a further £10,100 a year for GP mentors who need to be working at least three clinical sessions a week and can carry out mentoring in one further weekly session, which could target experienced GPs considering reducing their full-time commitment.
