Underdoctored Areas Struggle to Recruit and Retain Doctors

Strategic Insights -

Rural, coastal, and remote areas in the United Kingdom are experiencing difficulties in recruiting and retaining doctors to provide healthcare services, according to a recent study published in the journal Health & Place. Researchers from Lancaster University undertook a qualitative study to explore why doctors choose to work in these underdoctored areas and what factors contribute to their retention. The study involved interviews with doctors working in these areas across several case study sites, highlighting the importance of understanding the complex factors that influence a doctor's decision to stay or leave these areas.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study identified three intertwined elements that affect a doctor's decision to work in an underdoctored area: people, career, and place within a doctor's place-life trajectory.
  • The researchers found that doctors who work in these areas often have to compromise on one or more of these elements, which can change over time, and their acceptability can be negotiated and re-negotiated.
  • The study suggested that improving recruitment and retention in underdoctored areas can have a positive impact on health service provision and health inequalities.
  • The researchers involved in the study included Liz Brewster, Choon Key Chekar, Michael Lambert, Clare Mumford, Tasneem Patel, Nicola Rennie, and Cliff Shelton from Lancaster University's Medical School.
  • The study's findings have implications for improving healthcare services in rural, coastal, and remote areas in the UK.

Statistics:

  • 96:103560 is the reference number for the published study in Health & Place.
  • The research was conducted in the UK, with a focus on rural, coastal, and remote areas.
  • The study involved interviews with doctors working in these areas across several case study sites.
  • The researchers identified 3 key elements (people, career, and place) that affect a doctor's decision to work in an underdoctored area.

Sources:

  • Medical training pathways and underdoctored areas: a qualitative study of doctors working in areas that struggle to recruit and retain. Health & Place, 2025;96:103560.
  • Health & Place, a peer-reviewed journal published by Elsevier Sci Ltd (125 London Wall, London, England).