Medical undergraduate placements in general practice: what factors influence a practice’s decision to engage? Data from the Society of Academic Primary Care Placement Capacity Special Interest Group national practice survey of England

Medical schools across England face well-recognised challenges recruiting sufficient general practice placements for their students. Given the previously planned expansion in medical school places outlined in the last Government's NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and plans to expand medical school places and train thousands more general practitioners laid out in the current Government's <i>Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan</i>, it is essential that medical schools understand the factors influencing a practice's decision to engage with undergraduate placements. To address this, an electronic survey of general practices across England was undertaken to identify these factors with 242 responses collected. Thematic analysis of the freetext data was undertaken and found that workload and pressure on estates remain the biggest challenges to hosting medical students. Lack of support from medical schools, burdensome placement requirements and unprofessional student attitudes and behaviours were cited as a negative influence upon their decision to host. Financial renumeration was cited as both a positive and negative incentive for providing placements, suggesting that the introduction of the national funding tariff in 2022 has addressed the disparity between funding received by practices. The findings of this study add weight to the argument that addressing underfunding of medical student teaching in general practice is essential to positively impact upon placement availability. By brokering expectations between medical students and practising clinicians regarding professional behaviours and ensuring curriculum design is not unduly burdensome or restrictive, medical schools may be able to improve placement capacity within general practice.