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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of GPs in (a) Pendle and (b) East Lancashire are due to retire before 2004; what steps he is taking to attract young doctors to the area; and if he will make a statement. [12046] Ms Abbott: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002 Official Report, column 192W. Figures are not available centrally in the format requested. However, during 2002-03, 14 (5.1 per cent.) general practitioners (GPs) in the East Lancashire Health Authority area are expected to retire. A further 8 (2.9 per cent.) GPs are due to retire during 2003-04. 18 GPs currently within the Pendle Primary Care Group are aged over 55. East Lancashire Health Authority is pursuing a number of initiatives both in the long and short term to help address the problems in recruiting and retaining GPs. Notes: These figures have been extracted from a study by Lancashire University in 1998 relating to workforce planning for general medical and other primary care staff.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

381 c805W; 12046

Session

2001-02

Subjects

General practitioners Recruitment Lancashire Retirement North West Pendle

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk