General Practitioners: Rural Areas

We acknowledge the urgent challenge of ensuring that rural areas, including North Cornwall, have the resources to continue serving their patients. To address this, we will increase capacity in general practice (GP) and ensure that rural areas have the necessary workforce to provide integrated, patient-centred services.

We are committed to training thousands more GPs across the country, including in rural areas, and have committed to recruiting over 1,000 recently qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and secure the future pipeline of GPs. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has confirmed that recently qualified GPs who are employed via the ARRS will continue to be supported through the scheme in 2025/26.

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly have a full-time equivalent rate of 4.8 GPs, almost double the national rate of 2.5, per weighted 10,000 population. The NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board commissions the Cornwall Primary Care Training Hub to support and provide training, recruitment, and retention of GPs and other staff for all practices across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, including the North Cornwall constituency, as part of the north and east integrated care area. This includes relocation support, coaching and mentoring, professional development opportunities, sponsorship for international graduates, and bespoke support for GP partner retention. Thirty-six doctors are recruited into the Cornwall training programme annually, and this has increased by two for 2025/26 recruitment.