Moving to the UK to work as a family doctor (known in the UK as a general practitioner, or GP) provides huge opportunities for both your working and your personal life. A variety of areas are currently recruiting GPs, so whether you can see your family living in a vibrant city full of museums and activities; exploring the country's beautiful woodland and countryside in a rural practice; or enjoying all the pleasures of the seaside in a coastal area, there is sure to be something to suit you – all less than an hour by train from London.

Kent and Medway is a diverse and exciting destination with so much to see and do, steeped in history and rich in military and maritime heritage. Many of Kent's towns exude historical charm, full of exciting culture and hidden gems, while its numerous pretty villages have a traditional friendly charm beloved by locals and visitors alike.

Similarly, you can choose what kind of surgery you prefer to practice at, from a large busy surgery where you can truly expand your clinical practice, to a small village surgery where the emphasis is on building relationships with the patients on your list: list sizes in the county vary from under 2,000 to more than 36,000.

On a typical day, 30 to 40 appointments are offered to your patients, with the occasional walk-in emergencies. That means at least 30 ten minute sessions in which to welcome, introduce, glean, triage, diagnose, reassure, comfort, investigate, refer, treat, prescribe and follow up. The work is challenging but often exhilarating, with plenty of variety and much to pique your interest.

No two appointments are the same and you never know what will be coming up in the next appointment, giving you a fantastic opportunity to expand your clinical practice.

Then there are the phone calls. An average day probably involves ten or so calls to patients. In areas where there is a high elderly population, home visits may be required daily, and can range from two to eight visits.

Most GPs agree that the best thing by far about the job is the patients. The privilege you feel to have them trust in you and respect your decision-making is immense, and hugely rewarding; being able to fix their problems and make them feel better, control their pain and provide some comfort is extremely gratifying. The people make this job.

There are several qualities you need to have in your doctor's bag to succeed as a GP in the UK. Professionalism is of the utmost importance, as is the ability to keep your cool under pressure. Resilience is vital: no matter what happened in your last appointment, it cannot affect those still to come. Empathy is also essential to bolster you through the non-stop pace of general practice in the UK.

In evenings and at the weekend, you can get out and explore your new home, known as the Garden of England, with its 4,000 kilometres of countryside and 560 kilometres of stunning coast. The area boats some of the best beaches in Europe – voted by Lonely Planet – as well as exciting art galleries, elegant stately homes, romantic getaways, fun-filled family attractions, and miles and miles of exhilarating foot and cycle trails.

Getting to and around the area couldn't be easier with its excellent public transport links: Medway, for instance, is only 30 miles from London and 40 miles from the Channel ports and Eurotunnel. The high-speed train from London St. Pancras takes just 35 minutes to reach Medway itself, yet housing prices in Kent are on average 60% lower than its London counterparts.

If you see yourself living somewhere with beautiful beaches, stunning castles, exciting culture and delicious food and drink, then you've come to the right place. Get in touch now to find out how you can take the first steps towards your exciting new life in Kent.

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If you enjoy diagnosing and treating a wide range of conditions rather than specialising in one area specifically, you should consider a career in general practice in the UK.

England's National Health Service is commonly regarded as a national treasure, with its underlying principle of free healthcare for all at point of service being a matter of great pride for the vast majority of English people.

General practitioners (GPs) or family doctors are the foundation of the NHS: the first point of call for most patients, working together with not only the patient themselves but a variety of healthcare professionals from pharmacists to mental health services to physiotherapists to social care services, managing everything from minor conditions to acute illness and long term ill health.

As well as being well-regarded by the population that they serve – nine out of ten patients rate their experience of their GP practice as "Good" – the British government also recognise the importance of the work carried out by GPs, investing an additional £2.4bn a year into general practice by 2021.

General practice in England is varied, interesting, well-regarded and well-supported, but what other reasons are there for pursuing a career as a GP in England?

1. Work as a GP in the UK is well paid compared to other EU areas, with a good future pension. While on the International GP training scheme, you can expect to earn a minimum of £3,000 per calendar month, increasing to £68,000-£72,000 per year once you have gained entry to the National Medical Performers List, alongside benefits including paid maternal and paternal leave.

2. As a GP, you have the option of working out-of-hours and weekends.

3. The role offers fantastic flexibility, whatever you're looking for: partnership, salaried or locum, rural or urban, full-time or part-time.

4. You could be setting up your new home in an area of outstanding natural beauty. Over a third of the county of Devon, for example, is designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with 450 miles of stunning coastline and clean, attractive, family-friendly beaches, while Cornwall has wild Bodmin Moor and, of course, beaches galore.

5. While for many the beauty of general practice is the variety, there is also the opportunity to develop special interests, such as gastroenterology or paediatric medicine.

6. Job satisfaction in the continuity and personal nature of the care you provide. Your patients will refer to you as "my doctor", and their trust in you and their respect for your decision-making is immense, and hugely rewarding.

7. It's not just about coughs and colds: a GP is a general physician managing anything from minor ailments to complex conditions and long term ill health.

8. Seeing people get better – and being there when they don't. A GP is the patient's companion on many journeys: being able to fix their problems and make them feel better, control their pain or provide some comfort is extremely gratifying. The people make this job.

9. Managing, not being managed - you oversee your working day.

10. Every day is different and interesting in general practice. No two appointments are the same and you never know what will be coming up in the next appointment, giving you a fantastic opportunity to expand your clinical practice.

The GP recruitment scheme also offers a comprehensive programme of practical and logistical support, including help finding a home, schools and other local facilities; help with day to day tasks such as setting up bank accounts; help with relocation costs; and financial support for your partner if they wish to improve their English in order to find work. We are with you every step of the way. So if what you've read so far sounds interesting, you like to be busy, you're a curious thinker, and a compassionate carer who never wants to stop learning, we'd love to hear from you!

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The medical regulator, GMC have announced they will routinely be accepting an additional test as proof of English language skills.

The Occupational English Test (OET), designed for healthcare professionals and already recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, will be accepted as an alternative to the already existing International English Language Test System (IELTS), for overseas doctors wishing to practice medicine in the UK.

Doctors will be able to take the test in more than 100 locations across 40 countries.

Are we one step closer to an exciting breakthrough?

Johns Hopkins University has trialed a method which may possibly detect some forms of cancer through a blood test. The idea is to have an annual test which would detect cancer at an early stage and help save lives. The trial was carried out on 1,005 patients with cancer and the test found 70% of the cancers.

The test is now being trialed in people who have not been diagnosed with cancer. If the test proves to be effective it can ultimately diagnose cancer without procedures like scans and colonoscopies.

Although this can potentially be very exciting news there are still a lost more work needed to assess the test's effectiveness.

DRC Locums are proud to have been awarded the Grant Thornton Buckinghamshire Limited 2017 Top 100 award. DRC Locums was presemted the award for being within the top 100 companies in Buckinghamshire who help create a rich, vibrant and sustainable economy in the county.

DRC Locums has been awarded onto the new preferred supplier list for the supply of medical locums to the East Midlands Mental Health Regional Medical Locums Hub.

This includes Nottinghamshire Healthcare, Leicestershire Partnership, Lincolnshire Partnership and Derbyshire Healthcare and provides an opportunity for a multitude of mental health requirements across all grades and sub-specialties.

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) findings show, that the number of nurses and midwives registering in the UK have fallen to 690,773 – a drop of 1,783 during the last year. In 2016/2017 the number of people leaving the NMC register was 20% higher than the number of nurses and midwives joining.

Most of the nurses departing the profession are doing so due to working conditions while some people blame the pay cap.