Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme (TERS)

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 NHS England (NHSE) 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.

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.

For information on the Scottish TERS, go to NHS Scotland.  Scotland will not have any TERS posts available in Round 3.

Targeted incentive

In certain areas of Wales, GP trainees who started training in Wales from 2018 and up to February 2025 will be eligible to receive a targeted incentive. This will be a payment of up to £20,000 should they remain in a targeted area for the time they are in training and for 1 year of practice after qualification. This incentive is targeted at selected training areas within Hywel Dda University Health Board (HDUHB), Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) (Eligible Health Board Areas).

For further information on the incentives in Wales, go to Health Education and Improvement Wales' (HEIW) financial incentive FAQs page.

There's also information on the TrainWorkLive website.