Doctor warns of ‘death of general practice’

THERE is a risk of sleepwalking into the “death of general practice” unless changes are made, a senior doctor has warned.

Andrew Buist, chairman of BMA Scotland’s Scottish GP committee, said the wellbeing of family doctors must be improved as they face relentless pressure in their jobs.

He made the comments at the Scottish Local Medical Committee conference in Clydebank, the first in-person gathering of GPS since the pandemic.

A recent wellbeing survey of 1,000 GPS found only 18% would currently recommend general practice as a career choice.

Dr Buist told the conference: “I admit I am now in the 82% who would not immediately say yes to recommending a career as a GP – but I desperately want to be able to do so again.

“Being a GP has been, is, and can continue to be, a hugely rewarding career choice, but we need a new vision for primary care with sufficient GPS with the time and the back-up of a full multi-disciplinary team. Without this change we risk sleepwalking into the death of general practice as we have known it.

“I want to be able to unreservedly recommend being a GP to every young doctor in training, medical student and potential medical student I meet and my challenge to the Scottish Government is for them to now finally deliver the direct investment to recruit the GPS we know are needed to make that happen.

“Listen to us, work with us – the people of Scotland are being let down, please give us the tools we need to stop that from getting any worse.”

A conference motion from the Grampian Local Medical Committee suggested some patients should pay for certain services as a way of reducing demand.