Newly qualified GPs may quit general practice over indemnity costs
Initial results from an MDU survey of GPS about indemnity has revealed that even recently qualified GPs are thinking about a change of career because of the rising cost of indemnity.
The MDU has been inundated with responses to the survey, with hundreds of GPs responding in just over three weeks since the launch of the MDU’s Save General Practice campaign.
One GP commented: ‘Indemnity is sky rocketing now. GP indemnity at present is at an unsustainable level. I am considering leaving the profession in my 30s.’
Another GP trainee said: ‘I am about to qualify and the indemnity costs are seriously making me consider leaving medicine. I have already started arranging interviews outside of medicine.’
The MDU has been inundated with responses to the survey, with hundreds of GPs responding in just over three weeks since the launch of the MDU’s Save General Practice campaign.
Dr Matthew Lee, MDU Director of Professional Services said: “The number of responses and comments our survey has generated shows the strength of feeling GPs have about the rising cost of indemnity. We expected that some GPs would say they were thinking of retiring earlier or reducing the amount they work. But we didn’t expect that even recently qualified GPs would be thinking of a career change because of indemnity costs. This is really worrying news for general practice, which not only needs to attract more GP trainees, but be able to retain them.”
The MDU recently wrote to GP members to highlight the profound impact on GP clinical negligence costs caused by a decision to lower the discount rate. It says a large increase in GP indemnity costs is not affordable, especially at a time when there is unprecedented pressure on general practice.
Dr Lee continued:
“This issue needs to be at the top of the Government’s in-tray after the election. The new Government must act quickly by providing financial support to GPs to prevent a crisis in general practice, which would leave all patients at risk. We need as many GPs as possible to make their voice heard by talking to parliamentary candidates and their patients about this issue. It’s also not too late to complete our short survey about indemnity costs.”
Full results from the survey will be published at a later date and in the meantime, further comments from GPs can be seen at www.themdu.com/savegp.
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