Shortage of doctors may force local GP surgeries to shut down
GP surgeries could be forced to close due to a shortage of family doctors, it has been claimed. NHS bosses say the number of clinics could ‘reduce’, making care ‘less accessible’.
The crisis has emerged amid plummeting numbers of GPs. More than a quarter of surgeries have a vacancy.
Health board officials fear they are so short-staffed some GP surgeries could close – forcing patients to travel further to see a doctor.
They also say out-of-hours services face a ‘perilous’ situation.
The warnings come after a drive to recruit 100 extra GPs flopped, with only 37 taking up posts – despite some being offered a £20,000 ‘Golden Hello’ incentive.
A report by NHS Dumfries and Galloway medical director Angus Cameron this month titled Update on Medical Staffing said: ‘There is a high risk there will not be sufficient GPs to maintain current services.
‘Practices are likely to merge to survive and branch surgeries may no longer be viable. Both of these changes may make care less accessible but will help ensure that a service remains.’
The report has sparked fears other areas could also be affected.
Dr Alan McDevitt, chairman of the BMA’s Scottish GP committee said: ‘So far we have not closed any practices, although there are fewer doctors operating. If a practice can’t recruit, branch surgeries are expensive to maintain and doctors have to travel, so this is a real threat.’
Dr Jean Turner, patron of the Scotland Patients Association, said: ‘This will mean patients have to travel further distances to see their GP and wait longer for appointments. GP surgeries are already creaking at the seams. I hope we are not too late to fix the problem.’
Scottish Tory health spokesman Donald Cameron said: ‘This is an alarming development and one which illustrates just how negligent the SNP has been when it comes to general practice.
‘Nicola Sturgeon may have finally made some encouraging announcements at the weekend on GP funding but it’s clearly too late.’
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: ‘We’re continuously looking at ways of transforming primary care and GP services.
‘We are focusing on getting primary care right, both in and out of hours, so that we can ease the pressure in our hospitals and meet the demands of our patients, who should expect nothing less.’