GP surgeries at tipping point as demand exceeds capacity
BMA survey warning of crisis amid staff shortfall
SCOTLAND’S GP surgeries face demand exceeding capacity as a senior doctor warned surgeries could collapse under the pressure.
A British Medical Association (BMA) survey revealed staff shortages and significant demand is putting practices at “tipping point”.
A staggering 81 per cent of the practices questioned said demand was exceeding capacity, while more than a third reported at least a single GP vacancy, while 42% told the
BMA Scotland that demand substantially exceeded their capacity.
The survey, which consulted around half the GP surgeries in the country, also found more than a third of practices had at least one GP vacancy.
Dr Andrew Buist, chairman of the BMA’S Scottish GP committee, called for more openness from Holyrood ministers about “what GPS can deliver right now” amid the shortage.
He also warned of catastrophic consequences if numbers and retention were not boosted and urged the Scottish Government to reverse its cuts.
“We hear lots of warm words about the importance of GPS and multidisciplinary teams that support them – but having this vital money cut off suggests they are not being backed up at all by actions,” said Dr Buist.
“Indeed, it threatens to undermine practices, at the exact moment when we should be doing the opposite and shoring them up against what threatens to be a winter worse than any we have experienced.
“The funding should be restored urgently.”
The BMA estimates there are currently 312 full-time equivalent vacancies across GP practices in Scotland.
The senior doctor urged for more communication from the government about staff shortages.
Mr Buist warned that we may be headed towards a “two-tier health service” but emphasised he wanted to avoid it reaching that point.
But resources must be invested in primary care, or the whole system could “come tumbling down”, he said.
“We’re not putting the resources into primary care, into general practice, where it’s most needed. It is the foundation of the National Health Service.
“If we undervalue it and under-resource it, it will crumble and the rest of the healthcare system will come tumbling down.”
“We need more openness from our government to explain what is going on,” he added.
“This conversation cannot be left to the reception desk or the consulting room. From the very top, we need the government to explain to the public that we’re doing everything we can.
“In these difficult circumstances, we must prioritise the most sick and that means sometimes people will have to wait or they might not get seen at all.”
Speaking on the vacancies, Dr Buist added that the career has lost its appeal to many.
He said: “It’s a great job being a GP, it should be, but it’s a really tough job and you’re maybe seeing 60 people in a day.
“People towards the end of their careers are leaving earlier because they’re getting burnt out, and younger doctors are not coming in sufficient numbers to replace them. It’s lost it’s sparkle.”
But staff shortages are not the only issue, with demand contributing to the perfect storm.
With the age of Scotland’s population rising, more people need the service.
“Excessive workload is the single biggest thing. The number of people over 65 and Scotland has increased by a third since the year 2000. Age is what drives needs in the healthcare system,” said Dr Buist.
The warning comes as some healthcare workers, including Scotland’s nurses for the first time in history, have announced intentions to strike.
The Royal College of Nursing in Scotland has threatened strike action within weeks – while Unite, which represents about 1,500 Scottish Ambulance Service staff, has said that “continuous action short of strike”, including an
overtime ban and work to rule, will be enforced from November 25.
And yesterday Unison, which represents 50,000 nurses, midwives, cleaners, porters and administrative staff, rejected a pay deal for its healthcare staff.
Ministers have insisted that there is no more money to fund public sector pay rises and warned that a nurses’ strike would be “catastrophic”.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has written to the UK health secretary to seek more money to fund the pay rises.
But Mr Yousaf’s political rivals have blamed him for difficulties in the sector.
Sandesh Gulhane, the Tory health spokesman, blamed the “SNP’S dire workforce planning which, even before the pandemic, left GPS and practices under incredible pressure”.
“Patients will be the ones who suffer as a result of the failures of Humza Yousaf who is completely out his depth as Health Secretary,” he said.
“His inaction is meaning patients are being told only to turn up to A&E departments only in lifethreatening situations, which is just adding to the burden on GPS.”
And Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader, also criticised the health secretary.
“GPS are on the front line of this crisis but they have been failed time and time again - with Humza Yousaf cutting cash to them earlier this month in just the latest example of the SNP asking GPS to do more with less,” she said.
The Scottish Government said there was a “record number of GPS working in Scotland, with more per head than any other UK country ”.
“To support GPS, we have recruited over 3,220 healthcare professionals into multi-disciplinary teams working alongside GPS.
“We are committed to investing £170 million a year to help grow these teams and to further increasing the number of GPS in Scotland,” the spokesman said.