RECENTLY-qualified GPs should be offered specialist career opportunities to keep them in the NHS, the British Medical Association (BMA) has said, amid “worrying signs” of a burnout crisis.

BMA council deputy chairwoman Emma Runswick said more GPs are quitting general practice in Britain than ever, yet employers are often resistant to adopt this approach.

Her comments came after a General Medical Council (GMC) report today warned of a growing number planning “to leave the profession as a result of high levels of dissatisfaction and high risk of burnout.”

Warning that there may be a limited window of opportunity to address current issues before it manifests into more medics leaving the workforce, the report also found 63 per cent of 2022’s intake trained overseas and that growth was “strongly driven” by international graduates making up 52 per cent of new joiners.

GMC chief executive Charlie Massey said doctors trained outside Britain “need to be welcomed, valued and supported, and their expertise must be properly recognised.”

Dr Runswick urged the government to “implement a thorough workforce retention plan before our current staffing crisis reaches breaking point.”

She said the continuous recruitment of international medical graduates is not a sustainable solution to the workforce crisis and presents ethical problems as it creates shortages elsewhere.

International colleagues often move again due to the “systemic discrimination of the UK visa systems and local contracts,” she said.

NHS Providers chief executive Sir Julian Hartley said health trust leaders are aware more could be done to tackle inequalities and discrimination.

The Department of Health and Social Care said: “There continue to be record numbers of total NHS hospital and community health service staff in England, including doctors and nurses.”