GPs could get more generous pensions to stop so many leaving

The NHS will not hit its target of hiring thousands of extra GPs next year, the Health Secretary has admitted.  Matt Hancock said the Government's pledge to employ 5,000 extra family doctors by 2020 could take five more years. In the same interview, he said GPs could receive more generous pensions in a bid to stop them leaving the health service early. GPs currently have to pay tax on any pension savings above £1million but this law could be relaxed to encourage them to work into their 60s. Mr Hancock revealed plans to increase doctors' pension cap and the recruitment delay in an interview with specialist GP magazine Pulse. Loosening the regulations on doctors' pensions could allow them to save more than £1million tax-free for their retirement. The cap was lowered from £1.25million in 2016, but there is no suggestion of what the figure would return to if Mr Hancock's rule change went ahead. Research by Which? last year suggested a retired couple could live comfortably off a pension of £210,000. The average age of retirement for family doctors is 58, but the number retiring in their 50s hit a six-year low in 2018. Doctors' organisations have welcomed the idea of increasing pension pots but the Government's Treasury is sceptical.