As the profession soldiers on, all members hear the call to arms

Maham Stanyon

doi:10.3399/bjgp20X709517

Maximising workforce capacity is essential in the COVID-19 effort. As the pandemic continues, new sources of medical expertise to maintain service output will be needed. Meanwhile, COVID-19 has forced primary care into a digital revolution overnight. Routine and triage work is moving online with unprecedented speed. An unintended consequence of this may allow a previously untapped sector of the workforce to be mobilised, UK-trained GPs overseas.

There are no official figures for how many UK-trained GPs are overseas. The BMA Future of General Practice Survey 2015 found that 9% of GPs hoped to work overseas in the next 5 years, rising to 16% for those qualified less than 10 years.¹ Among those who have emigrated, some will be working in academia, some practising clinically in other healthcare systems, and some who have left medicine. However, there will be some GPs, like myself, who have undertaken great pains to maintain our UK practice, keeping up with CPD, appraisal, performers list, and registration requirements. In times of crisis we are eager to offer help. An informal poll of my personal network of UK-trained colleagues overseas shows that I am not alone. The shift towards remote consulting not only removes borders, but it also removes boundaries at a time when the primary care workforce needs a boost.

We might be a smaller group than those at the extreme ends of our careers, but we are skilled, experienced, and willing. We can consult fresh at unsocial hours, relieve the burden from overworked colleagues, and plug gaps when others fall ill or need to look after loved ones. Clearly the role overseas UK-trained GPs can play must be integrated into practice workflows to be viable. Appropriate ground support, both clinical and technical, is needed with challenges including set-up costs, electronic record access, and medical defence hurdles to overcome. However, these are minor in comparison to the benefits of a GP-trained workforce supplementing the primary care effort. With NHS England warning that GP trainees could be drafted into hospital service,² the position of primary care is precarious. In such exceptional times, every session counts.