Future GPs wooed to work in the region

Around 270 doctors from across the country are attending interviews in Hull this week as they prepare to make decisions about where they want to spend the next three years training to become family doctors.

As they arrive for their assessment interviews they will be welcomed by a promotional film and information showcasing the attractions across the region including top events such as the Grand Depart, its landscapes, nightlife and sport.

Promotional packs have also been sent to medical schools and adverts placed in the British Medical Journal.

Instigated by the Hull-York Medical School and NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group, the recruitment drive was inspired by Hull’s successful campaign for UK City of Culture 2017.

The venture comes amid growing concerns the region is one of the worst hit in the country by a shortage of GPs, with only three-quarters of training places filled in 2014.

Bridlington GP David Pearson, director of the Hull York Medical School Academy of Primary Care, said: “We instigated this campaign because we are determined to bring the best students and GP trainees into our region.

“The region is buzzing and it’s a great place to study and work.”

GP Amy Oehring, one of the doctors featured in the campaign film, said: “It’s no exaggeration to say that I absolutely love my job here in Hull.

“I feel I have a lot of opportunities that other GPs in other places don’t often have in their first few years of qualifying.

“I feel very proud of the city and I don’t think people understand how good it is until they have seen it for themselves.”