The Benefits of Working as a GP in the UK

If you’re a GP / family medicine doctor and you’re interested in relocating to the UK and you’re starting to research in the benefits of working as a GP in the UK, you’ve come to the right place!

GP’s and GP Surgeries are at the very heart of the NHS. Working hard to provide primary care to patients across the UK, GP’s provide over 250 million consultations every year; diagnosing and treating physical, social and psychological issues, and being the first point of contact before many go onto receive specialist treatment.

No-two GP Surgeries are the same, so if you’re looking for a quiet and relaxed village life or the hustle and bustle of a major city – there’s plenty to choose from. The GP workforce is very diverse, just like British patients. There are thousands of GP’s from across the globe working for the NHS, and they’re all individually valued for their new skills, knowledge, perspectives and experience they bring to General Practice in the UK.

Want to know more? Here are the five key benefits of working as a GP in the UK.

Strong Work-Life Balance

One of the greatest benefits of working as a GP in the UK is that you’ll be provided with a typical working schedule of 9-5pm that’ll rarely change. That means that you’ll always have knowledge of when you’ll be working, for how long and the free time you have to dedicate to your friends, family or personal interests.

With a fixed- job plan, if your practice suddenly needs extra cover, your employer can ask you if you’re available – you don’t have to accept and they cannot demand that you provide the extra cover.

Did you know that the positive work-life balance offered by General Practice is in the top three reasons why doctors choose this specialty?

Job Stability & Career Development

Working as a GP in the UK, you’ll be offered a stable and secure work environment that will allow you to develop a working relationship with all members of your team.

Having regular monthly income is another one of fantastic benefits of being a GP in the UK and will allow you to plan your finances, social events and your childcare.

You’ll also be allocated a dedicated consultation room, which makes it less stressful when completing paperwork, conducting your continuous professional development and taking part in audit and significant event analysis.

In addition to having a stable job, if you join the GP Recruitment Programme, you’ll be offered a bespoke education and training package to help you further develop your skills and knowledge.

UK Employment Rights

As a UK employee, you’ll have access to significant rights.

To start, you’ll be ensured basic employment rights such as a lunch break, time off work and pay. In addition, you’ll also be guaranteed sick pay and parental rights.

Employee rights are one of the biggest advantages of working as a GP in the UK.

Salary

The NHS offers a competitive pay package for GPs within Europe.

Unlike specialist doctors, there is no pay scale for salaried GPs. In 2019 for example, the minimum annual salary for a full-time GP working 37.5 hours in England was £58,808 (+ London weighting).

Your salary will reflect your responsibility, experience and qualifications.

Once you’ve gained entry onto the National Medical Performers List without conditions you can expect a salary of £68,000+ before tax. In the UK, there is not a cap on the pay scale and your salary is simply calculated on your level of experience and the offer from the individual practice.

Browse our latest GP vacancies by hitting the link below!

Clinical Work

Did you know on average, a GP spends just 11% of their time on admin tasks? Whereas a specialist in a hospital spends over 59% of their time on paperwork. This calls for a larger need of technology and automation to improve productivity levels.

One of the main reasons an individual chooses to study medicine is to alleviate people’s pain and suffering. So, when it becomes the case that a doctor is spending more time with paperwork than patients, the purpose of their job role has diminished. Whereas, due to the service-demand led approach to GP Surgeries in the UK – you’ll be able to spend more time with your patients seeking primary care.

Want to know more?

NHS England is supporting EEA qualified family medicine doctors / GPs  to come and work in England via a fantastic programme.

The benefits of this programme include:

• Funded Support with your English language to reach the required standard
• Choose where in England you would like to live and work
• A large relocation package and support
• Ongoing training and education
• Exciting career path and the opportunity to specialise

ID Medical can help secure you a post on the programme! Email your CV to us at international@id-medical.com.

GIVE YOUR CAREER IN THE UK A BOOST BY REGISTERING WITH ID MEDICAL – JUST HIT THE ‘SIGN UP’ BUTTON BELOW

References

Google Books. 2020. Essentials Of Physical Health In Psychiatry. [online] Available at: <https://bit.ly/2UU9tfJ> [Accessed 18 June 2020].