Leading doctor warns of ‘dire’ situation now facing GPs

Scotland’s new first minister must show a “greater commitment to actually delivering” for GPs, a leading doctor has said, as he warned that the country is “sleepwalking towards a two-tier health service”.

Dr Andrew Buist, the chair of the British Medical Association’s Scottish general practice committee, said without action to address the issues faced by family doctors Scotland could see the emergence of “under-doctored areas” – where a lack of GPs makes it difficult for patients to register with a practice.

Such a situation could lead to “increased levels of health inequalities” in Scotland, he warned, as well as creating opportunities for private GP services.

In a blogpost published on the BMA website, he told how GPs were “demoralised”.

Rather than an increase in the number of GPs, as promised when the BMA developed the Scottish GP contract with the Scottish Government, Dr Buist said the whole time equivalent (WTE) number of GPs is actually falling – saying in some areas this meant there were more than 2,000 patients for every GP.

The GP contract had been designed to set out a "new direction for general practice in Scotland", but Dr Buist claimed that "it seems we lost our political commitment to this project".

Calling for action from the new first minister, who will take office next week, he insisted action was needed “beyond some of the warm words we often hear”.

He said: “We must look with hope to the new first minister and, potentially, new Cabinet secretary for health to show greater commitment to actually delivering for general practice.”