Time is running out to save GPs, warns top doctor

Ministers will be told there is only a “finite period” to “rescue” general practice, with doctors leaders calling for the share of NHS spending that goes to GPs to be more than doubled.

The British Medical Association Scotland said that family doctors currently receive 6.5% of the NHS budget, but that if this was upped to a record 15%, an additional 1,800 whole-time equivalent (WTE) GPs could be recruited.

In his first speech as chairman of the BMA Scottish general practitioners committee (SGPC), Dr Iain Morrison will call for this “huge shift” in support from the Scottish Government.

He will tell the conference, which health secretary Neil Gray will address: “For general practice to realise its awesome potential and for the NHS to once again be a jewel in the country’s crown, we must see our slice of the NHS budget rise to 15%.”

It comes as a survey of more than 1,100 GPs found that 86% said the GP contract uplift, which funds GP practices and pay, had affected morale

Nine out of 10 GPs (90%) said they were not satisfied that this recognises the contribution they make to the NHS, with almost two thirds (65%) saying they are more likely to leave as a result.

Dr Morrison, speaking at the annual Scottish Local Medical Committee (SLMC) conference in Clydebank, will also warn that without funds to mitigate the rise in national insurance contributions “even more” GP practices “will be pushed to the edge”.

Saying that NHS support for GPs must be increased, Dr Morrison will say that taking their share of the health budget to 15% will “help to fund the ambition” of having one WTE GP per 1,000 patients.

He will tell the conference the proportion of money that goes to general practice has been “persistently eroded”, from 11% of the NHS budget in 2004 to 6.5%.

“This has directly led to the number of whole-time equivalent GPs across Scotland flatlining and now receding,” he will say.

With Dr Morrison expected to highlight the “huge demographic challenges” the NHS is facing because of the increasingly elderly population, he will say that the “demands and needs of our patients will only be met with a huge shift to support general practice”.

He will tell the conference: “I truly believe that we have a finite period by which we can turn the tide and rescue general practice.”

But he will say that the BMA will “work tirelessly to make government see the harm they have caused and redress the balance of healthcare provision”.

As part of this he will say that recruiting an additional 1,800 WTE GPs could lead to “outstanding levels of continuous relationship-based care”, along with “massively improved GP access with all the benefits that brings to the NHS, population health and the patients themselves”.

Dr Morrison will say: “General practice must be supported if the public want free, accessible, quality healthcare for the nation.”

He will urge the Scottish Government to “realise the full potential of general practice so that the NHS in Scotland can thrive again”.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “GPs are essential to the delivery of high quality, sustainable general practice services and we are determined to increase the number of GPs in Scotland by 800, by 2027.

“Scotland has a higher number of GPs per head than the rest of the UK, and a record 1,200 plus trainee GPs coming through the training system.

“To further support GPs we have significantly expanded the primary care multi-disciplinary team workforce, with over 4,900 staff working in services.

“We increased funding to General Medical Services by £59.6m this year to £1.29bn.”