Retention of GPs on Long Term Skill Shortage List applauded

PRESS RELEASE issued by the NZRGPN for immediate use, December 18, 2014

Retention of GPs on Long Term Skill Shortage List applauded

A decision by The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment not to remove GPs from its Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) is a common sense decision in light of ongoing and growing GP shortages in many parts of rural New Zealand.

New Zealand Rural General Practice Network chairman Dr Jo Scott-Jones says even though more doctors are being trained in New Zealand and fewer are leaving after their training to head overseas “our workforce shortages are far from resolved. To remove GPs from the LTSSL would be very shortsighted in light of ongoing recruitment challenges to some areas of rural New Zealand for reasons such as isloation and the requirement to recruit experienced GPs who often face a unique set of medical and patient challenges.

“We are very pleased that our submission was considered favourably by the review team.”

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has completed its annual review of two of the Essential Skills in Demand (ESID) Lists – the Long Term Skill Shortage List (LTSSL) and the Immediate Skill Shortage List (ISSL). The Ministry regularly reviews the ESID lists to ensure that they meet the changing needs of the labour market, and to ensure opportunities for New Zealanders first.

No changes have been made to the LTSSL listing for General Practitioner.

As part of the review process, in July this year, the Network made a submission in support of retaining ‘General Practitioner’ on the Long Term Skill Shortage List. The Network’s submission was made in conjunction with New Zealand Medical Association and the Royal New Zealand College of GPs.

The Network, through its recruitment division NZLocums, recruits overseas GPs to work in rural New Zealand. During the last three years (2011-2013) NZLocums has recruited a total of 48 overseas trained doctors to take up permanent rural General Practice positions (contracts of 12 months or more).

In its submission the Network said: “In order to meet the growing number of GP vacancies in rural general practice it is essential that General Practitioner remains on the Long Term Skill Shortage List. Removal from the list would create an unnecessary barrier restricting the ability to recruit overseas trained General Practitioners to meet the critical workforce needs in a timely fashion.

“In rural general practice alone there are currently 40 permanent rural GP vacancies which represents vacancies at approximately 20% of the 190 rural practices. This level of vacancies has been relatively steady with, on average, 24% of rural practices having open GP vacancies over the last three years.”

Background information:

In a communique MBIE’s Skill Shortages Review Team said the GP occupation was nominated for inclusion in the 2014 review by the Ministry following claims in the media that medical graduates have been unable to secure jobs. The review particularly sought further evidence to confirm whether this occupation is still in shortage, and if so, whether the shortage is at a graduate level and/or for experienced doctors.

Findings for the review of this occupation included:

• Although the government-funded medical student cap is being progressively increased the full increase will not graduate until 2021.

• There is a long time lag from medical graduation to prevocational and vocational training and employment as a General Practitioner.

• The aging of the current General Practitioner workforce will result in an increased level of retirements in 5 to 15 years.

•Increasing numbers of elderly in the general population will increase demand for General Practitioners.

• An increasing emphasis on services being delivered in primary care is likely to further increase the demand for General Practitioners.

• There is a continuing shortage in rural general practice.

• Doctors are quite mobile and mobility is more likely at the vocational level once training has been completed.

Although fewer doctors are leaving New Zealand after their training we accept that demand for General Practitioners is likely to exceed supply over the next few years.

The media interest in late 2013 concerned difficulties for some medical graduates in obtaining postgraduate training places, and does not relate to shortages of vocationally trained General Practitioners.

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