James Sunderland intervenes in a debate in support of training additional doctors and also raises concerns at the high salaries being paid to locums which is a disincentive for doctors to get contracts for local surgeries and the need to bring doctors back from retirement and other professions.
James Sunderland (Bracknell) (Con)
I commend my hon. Friend on his excellent speech; I agree with every single word. Would he recognise that the inflow of doctors to the NHS is part of a wider package? He alludes to the appalling high salaries being paid to locums. That is preventing doctors from getting contracts for surgeries locally, which is a problem in Bracknell. Would he also agree that we have to bring doctors back from retirement and other professions? That is about improving inflow at every level, across the whole of the service.
Anthony Browne (South Cambridgeshire) (Con)
I agree fully with my hon. Friend that training more doctors is just one part of the solution. There is no point training them if they suddenly leave. We need to ensure that they are not incentivised to retire early, and that they stay working in the NHS.