Jersey could face GP shortage within ten years, warns doctor

With 30 per cent of the Island’s GPs expected to retire by 2025, Dr Nigel Minihane, chairman of the Primary Care Body, has spoken of his concerns about Jersey’s ability to attract new doctors.

He claims issues such as pay, pensions, Jersey’s high cost of living and the fact that UK GPs who spend more than 12 months in the Island have to sit an exam if they decide to return home are deterring potential candidates.

And Dr Minihane says these factors are compounded by the UK’s very own GP shortage as fewer junior doctors are choosing to go into general practice and a third already in the profession say they will retire within the next five years ,blaming heavy workloads and bureaucracy.

Dr Nigel Minihane

He added that the Island needed to take action now so the system does not reach breaking point in the future and said a primary care strategy outlining the issues facing GPs in Jersey today as well as potential solutions would be presented to the States shortly.

Dr Minihane said that with the Health Department wanting to care for more Islanders in the community in the future it was vital that the number of GPs did not drop.

‘We are concerned,’ he said. ‘We don’t know what the draft will be in the future. We might not be able to recruit GPs. That is the risk and the fear.

‘It’s part of the reason for the primary care strategy. We need to know what difficulties we will be facing.’

There are currently around 90 full-time GPs operating in Jersey – the equivalent of 0.88 doctor per 1,000 of the population. In comparison the UK has 0.64 per 1,000.

However, Dr Minihane said that the UK has access to trainee GPs and also has more practice nurses than Jersey and so the levels of primary medical care between the two jurisdictions were similar.

Although Jersey GPs earn on average more than their UK counterparts – £120,000 per annum compared to £105,000 – Dr Minihane said the cost of living is higher than the majority of the UK.

He added that a doctor with 25 years’ service in the UK would have an NHS pension pot of about £1.4 million, something which is not available to Island doctors.

Dr Minihane said that doctors were also deterred from moving to Jersey because once they have been in the Island for 12 months they are classified as an overseas doctor and cannot work in the UK unless they sit an exam. He added that he was awaiting a reply from the General Medical Council, which he wrote to in July, asking them to redress the issue.

Meanwhile, Island GP, Dr Nigel Stevens, said the Island was struggling to recruit new doctors because it was an ‘exceedingly unattractive career choice for GPs’.

In a letter on page 10 of today’s JEP Dr Stevens says GPs are being ‘overburdened with increasing bureaucracy and administrative duties’.

‘It is unattractive for GPs to come to Jersey,’ said Dr Stevens, who has been working in Jersey for the last 22 years.

‘Several practices are looking for new doctors. When I applied to come there were 50 to 60 applications for a job. Now we can’t find anyone.

‘There is a general GP recruitment crisis in the UK and if Jersey does not look attractive why would they choose to come here?’

A GP’S surgery that provides free appointments for children opened its doors in August.

The Atlantic Surgery, owned and run by Dr Frederik Rud, offers free appointments for the under-fives, with reduced rates for consultations and follow-ups for children under 12.

Based at the Lido Wellness Centre, the practice offers late-night opening hours and weekend appointments, as well as appointments for visitors to the Island.

Dr Rud, who has previously worked at the Hospital, said the surgery had developed a ‘transparent’ price structure for appointments, tests and services.

He said: ‘I know that from talking to patients, particularly those with children or those who require repeat appointments due to ongoing health conditions, the cost of visiting the doctor can be a real concern and in some cases, may prevent people from seeking the help they need.

‘I do not want people to have this concern. That is why we want to be so clear about pricing and cost.’

The Channel Islands Co-operative Society launched its own healthcare service in November 2014.

Aimed at reducing the cost of seeing a GP, Co-operative Medical Care was developed in direct response to concerns about the high cost of visiting the doctor in Jersey. Consultations cost £30, with free healthcare for under-fives and half-price visits for those aged five to 18.

That compares to average consultation prices across the Island of about £40, according to the Co-op. And Co-op members will receive four per cent dividend on all services – just like they do at the supermarket.

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