College of GPs well placed to become trainee GPs’ employer

College of GPs well placed to become trainee GPs’ employer

The Royal New College of General Practitioners is well placed to respond to Health Workforce New Zealand’s (HWNZ) request for expressions of interest to become the employer of GPs in their first year of training, says College President Dr Harry Pert.

“We believe the College is the most suitable and best-placed employer for registrars in their first year of the General Practice Education Programme (GPEP) and we’ll be submitting a tender to HWNZ,” says Dr Pert.

“Certainty about who will employ registrars needs to be resolved as quickly as possible. The College sees this as a critical issue for its members and the primary health sector as a whole.

“The College has the competence and capability to employ registrars through changes we’ve been making to GPEP and the College.

“Over the past year, the College has reshaped its training programme, processes and structure to ensure we can support a more diverse and flexible GP role, designed to better meet the needs of doctors, patients and communities. We’ve just delivered to the Medical Council an updated and enhanced outcomes-based training programme and new curriculum that focuses on preparing GPs for the new requirements of primary care in the community.

“We have also separated our standard-setting and accreditation function from our training function to avoid any conflicts of interest. The new training unit will be focused entirely on ensuring registrars have the best possible learning experience.

“We’re confident the changes we’ve made will make the College more agile and responsive and place us in an excellent position to take on the work of employer. We have strong financial, operational and governance systems and can manage and deliver on large contracts.

“Our aim as employer would be to ensure trainee GPs enjoy the same financial benefits, terms and conditions as doctors training in hospitals. We will also work to ensure a smooth transition to any new employer arrangements and support registrars through the process.

“We encourage doctors who are keen to train as GPs to apply this year and not be put off by the current uncertainty about who will employ them.”

In February 2012, HWNZ decided that District Health Boards would be the employers of first-year GPEP registrars from December 2013, but recently reversed this decision. It released an expression of interest document for a new employer for first-year GPEP registrars on 31 May 2012.

For more information on the General Practice Education Programme and how to apply, visit the College’s website at www.rnzcgp.org.nz.

ENDS

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