New research suggests that more than 500 British GPs actively began looking to live and work in another country in 2013.
According to recently released General Medical Council (GMC) data, 529 GPs requested the required Certificate of Good Standing (CGS) paperwork from the Council, which is needed before practising abroad, compared with just 266 in 2009.
Although a request for a certificate does not always mean a GP is applying to work abroad, it is considered the most accurate way of determining emigration from the UK.
A recent investigation carried out by health professionals magazine, Pulse, revealed that over 5,000 doctors a year consider taking their skills abroad, with Australia, New Zealand and Canada the three most popular destinations for British doctors.
A wide range of health professionals are in demand in all three countries, and British qualifications are among the most sought after by overseas medical institutions.
Dr Maureen Baker, the chair of Royal College of General Practitioners told Pulse that the mass exodus of GPs is down to a number of factors, including a lack of resources.
“”GPs enter general practice to provide good quality and safe care for our patients but this is becoming harder and harder to do as a result of falling funding and diminishing resources – it is easy to understand why working in other countries is becoming so appealing to GPs in the UK,” she said.
Article published 24th November 2014