5. What plans does the First Minister have to address the barriers that are facing GP recruitment in Wales? OAQ(5)0484(FM)

We will continue to work with our partners, including General Practitioners Committee Wales, to address the challenges faced by the GP workforce in Wales. That work will be supported by an additional investment of £27 million for general medical services during 2017-18, as was announced at the weekend.

Thank you for that. I’ve met with a great many of the organisations that represent all facets of the GP work sphere and, of course, the issue of professional indemnity is one of the major points that comes across as a barrier for getting more GPs who currently are either thinking of retiring and work part-time to release more of their GP hours and go into GP practices, which would indeed help with all of the queues and problems that we see in GP practices. I am aware that some of that £27 million is earmarked to help to offset some of that indemnity, but what I really wanted to know was that I understood that the Cabinet Secretary had commissioned a report by Welsh Government lawyers into this issue, and I was wondering if the First Minister could tell me if this report has been completed, and if so, could you share with us the advice that it gave the Cabinet Secretary?

This is something that is under active discussion with the profession in order to move that forward. I can say that the package that was announced on the weekend is designed, amongst other things, to increase the contribution, as the Member says, towards the rising costs of professional indemnity, as well as, of course, dealing with things such as the increased costs of pensions administration, and a general uplift to deal with increasing practice costs.

One of the frustrations is that qualified students from Wales who want to be trained in Wales in our medical schools don’t have the opportunity to undertake that training. When we look at the percentages in England, 80 per cent of the students in medical schools are from England, 50 per cent in Scotland, for example, but only 20 per cent in Wales. Could we guarantee that all Welsh domiciled students who have the ability to study can access a training place here in Wales? Of course, that has a great impact, then, on the ability to retain them here within our health service?

I must say—and I’m sure that he’s heard the same thing—that people have told me that they’ve seen examples of young people who have not received an offer to study in Cardiff, but have received an offer to study in England. Now, this is something that concerns me, because if they’re good enough to go to England, then they should be good enough to attend a Welsh university. What I will do—this was being considered recently—is write to the Member on this subject. I’ve heard people telling me this, and I’m sure he heard the same. It is all important that we understand the selection system for students in order to ensure that Welsh students receive fair play.

First Minister, there is a strong evidence base suggesting that medical students are more likely to want to practise in the long term where they have trained. Therefore, I welcome Cwm Taf health board’s initiative, whereby in partnership with Cardiff University School of Medicine, 60 medical students each year have experienced the early part of their training in GP surgeries in the south Wales Valleys. First Minister, do you agree that giving medical students this exposure to general practice early on is crucial to promoting it as a career choice, and how else can we promote the Valleys as a good place for GPs to work?

Well, this is something, of course, that’s hugely important, as the Member says. If we look, for example, at the Rhondda cluster in Cwm Taf, that’s been particularly active in terms of recruiting. It’s hugely important, of course, that a student goes somewhere and has a positive experience. That’s why it’s hugely important that we’re able to do that. If we look at the Rhondda cluster as an example: they have a cluster communications officer to build the reputation of the Rhondda as a great place to work, they’ve developed the Rhondda Docs website, which describes the lifestyle and career available in the Rhondda, and they’ve developed a recruitment and retention survey and analysis, which will form part of the cluster’s delivery plan in the new financial year. That’s one example that can be used or adapted by other clusters in order to make sure that when students actually do their GP training in Valleys areas, they feel they’re coming to a place that is forward-thinking, that is well resourced and has GPs who are dedicated to their community—and in all those respects, the cluster fulfils those obligations.