There are financial incentives for trainees who commit to work in parts of the UK which have a history of under-recruitment or are in under-doctored or deprived areas.

The process and rules of applying to the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme (TERS) varies among the different nations of the UK. 

TERS across the UK nations

This information is for applicants in the 2024-25 recruitment round.

What is the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme?

The Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme is an initiative that will offer a one off payment of £20,000 to GP Specialty Trainees committed to working in a select number of training locations in England that either have a past history of under-recruitment or are in under-doctored or deprived areas.

This is one element of a national recruitment and retention strategy and has been expanded this year to reflect the fact that trainees who are attracted to these areas by the scheme usually stay on after training as they discover these locations hidden attractions.

Where are the hard-to-recruit training places?

Locations identified by Health Education England (HEE) for posts commencing between August 2024 and February 2025 are listed below.

This information may be subject to change and the number of TERS posts available in each location may not necessarily be equivalent to all posts available in the training programme. Applicants are be advised to contact the relevant local offices for further information. Please also note that not all places will be advertised at once, recruitment rounds occur at different times though the year.

HEE region or office Training programme Total number of TERS posts

Midlands - East Midlands

Boston

25

 

Lincoln

20

 

Sherwood Forest

36

Wessex

Dorchester (rural)

10

 

Isle of Wight

7

  Mid Dorset 5
 

Portsmouth

20

East of England

Basildon

15

 

Colchester

22

 

Great Yarmouth

18

 

Ipswich

24

 

Kings Lynn

18

 

Peterborough

18

London

Barking, Dagenham and Havering

26

 

Bexley and Sidcup

18

 

Ilford

21

Midlands - West Midlands

Hereford

18

 

North Staffordshire

30

 

Shropshire

30

 

Worcester (rural and remote)

5

North East and Yorkshire 

Dewsbury, Pontefract & Wakefield

47

  Doncaster 30
  Durham and Tees Valley 60
 

North Cumbria

20

 

North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire

10

North West

Blackpool

22

 

East Lancashire

30

 

Lancaster

11

  South Cumbria 7

South East - Kent, Surrey and Sussex

Chatham

3

 

Dartford Centre

1

 

Gravesend Centre

1

 

Gillingham (Medway)

4

 

Hailsham (East Sussex)

1

 

Hastings

7

  East Ken (including Ashford, Canterbury and Margate) 6
  Swale (Medway) 4

South West

Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire

3

  Chelthenham 4
 

Cornwall

6

 

Exeter

0

 

North Devon

14

 

Plymouth

27

 

Somerset

12

 

Swindon

12

 

Torbay

3

Why are these places so hard to fill?

There are a variety of reasons why these areas find it more difficult to attract trainees. Some are relatively remote from large towns, and as a result are not routinely used for medical school placement so are unfamiliar to doctors in training.

The quality of placements in such areas are at least equivalent to all other placements and are often more highly rated by trainees who work there. As these placements are often in smaller communities where a greater number of services need to be delivered locally rather than relying on large teaching hospitals, doctors working in these areas often receive an increased breadth of training and many more opportunities for diversification. Once you get there, you may well find that the lifestyle is much more relaxed than in our big cities.

How do I find out more about working in these areas?

Information relating to these areas is available by contacting the HEE local offices directly, and will be made available on the Recruitment leads and programme details page.

When will the payment be paid?

The payment will be paid upon starting the training post and will be administered by your employer on behalf of the local HEE office where the appointment is based. An agreement will be implemented between the trainee and HEE for the payment

Is the payment subject to tax?

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) have advised that these payments will be subject to tax. If you believe you should be exempt from this tax, you're advised to take financial advice and speak to your local tax office.

How do I apply for the scheme?

Those interested in the scheme should review their preferences within their GP application within Oriel prioritising a "hard to recruit to" training place and resubmit their preferred training locations by the national upgrade deadline for the round in question. In the event that any of the hard to recruit training places are oversubscribed, standard recruitment and selection processes for training places will be applied.

Those who opt to defer entry into their training programme will not be eligible to receive TERS payments unless the deferment is for statutory reasons, for example maternity leave.

What happens if I leave the scheme early?

You will only receive your payment once you have signed an agreement to complete the 3-year placement, with no relocation option. Should you need to leave your training place before completing your 3-year placement, you would need to make a pro-rata repayment of the payment.

How were the training places identified for the scheme?

Training places were identified by the primary care deans based on consistently hard-to-fill places which may be for reasons such as rurality, deprivation and historically under doctored over the last 4 years. Capacity was a key consideration in these areas so as not to detrimentally affect the trainees' overall experience and offer support where required.

Page last reviewed: 1 November 2023
Next review due: 1 October 2024