A new survey of trainee GPs indicates that one-third are planning to emigrate once they finish their training.

The survey, carried out among third and fourth year GP trainees in Dublin and the north-east, found that one-third of the 33 doctors surveyed said they planned to emigrate within one year of completing their training. GP training courses last four years.

The number of GPs emigrating to work abroad is reported to have increased in recent years, against a background of large income reductions for GPs and issues around the resourcing of increasingly pressurised GP care services.

Respondents to the trainee survey also expressed concern about the future of general practice in Ireland - 61% said thety had mixed feelings about the future of general practice, while 27% said they were despondent about the future.

The survey found that 64% of trainees saw themselves working part-time when they qualified, with family commitments and work-life balance cited as among the reasons for this.

Dr Amy Morgan, who carried out the survey in September of this year, said the results produced some worrying indications about the future of GP services.

She said primary care policy-makers at national and regional level need to engage with GPs in a meaningful way to plan effectively for the future of GP services.

She said general practice needed to be continue to be seen as a meaningful and viable career option for young doctors.

The survey was published in Forum, journal of the Irish College of General Practitioners.