Manifestos call for GP unemployment fix and patient number limits

GP leaders in Wales and Scotland have revealed their demands on their next governments, including addressing GP unemployment.

BMA Cymru Wales called on the next Welsh Government to develop a GP-specific workforce strategy to fix GP unemployment.

According to its manifesto, the union also wants a plan to be developed for ‘a national safe standard for working’, including a maximum number of patients per GP per working day.

The manifesto said: ‘Invest in the GP workforce, including developing a GP-specific workforce
strategy to address GP under and unemployment, and increase the number of GPs in Wales. The next Welsh Government must act to ensure general practice can deliver safe, effective services.’

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges Wales (AMRCW) also launched its manifesto ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections, calling for increased investment in prevention rather than reducing pressures on the NHS through ‘firefighting’.

And RCGP Scotland argued that general practice’s share of NHS funding should be restored to 11%. To achieve this, the next Scottish Government should commit to a substantial increase in the amount of general practice expenditure in each year of the next parliamentary term.

The three manifestos were published ahead of Scottish Parliament and Senedd elections taking place in May next year.

The BMA also wants the next Welsh Government to restore the proportion of the NHS Wales budget spent in general practice to the historic level of 8.7% within three years.

BMA Welsh council chair Dr Iona Collins said: ‘Our NHS is at breaking point. Patients are waiting too long, doctors are stretched beyond safe limits, and the system is struggling to cope. This manifesto is our prescription for change. The collapse of the NHS is not inevitable, this is our plan to turn the tide, to restore the health service and protect the future of care in Wales.’

It follows new figures from RCGP Scotland which revealed that over half of GPs (52%) feel they lack sufficient time during appointments to ‘properly assess and treat patients’ and 54% felt they don’t have enough time to build patient relationships to deliver quality care.

The RCGP manifesto called for a comprehensive long-term GP workforce plan, with interconnected measures on retention and recruitment.

RCGP Scotland Chair Dr Chris Provan said: ‘Our manifesto sets out actions needed to strengthen general practice and protect patient care. It calls on the next Scottish Government to invest at least 11% of the NHS budget in general practice, with a longer-term ambition of reaching 15%.

‘This investment is essential to end the workload and workforce crises that are currently hampering the ability of GPs to deliver world-leading care to patients.

‘However, funding alone is not enough. It must be accompanied by a robust, long-term workforce strategy that grows the GP workforce in line with patient demand. This strategy must also address the unique challenges faced by practices in deprived communities and in remote and rural areas.’

The AMRCW called on the next Welsh Government to safeguard and allocate ‘dedicated funding for preventive measures’ in future budgets, focusing on addressing the wider determinants of ill health.

Dr Rowena Christmas, chair of AMRCW and RCGP Cymru Wales, said: ‘This manifesto is the voice of doctors across Wales, united in our call for change. By coming together as royal colleges, we are sending a clear message: if Wales is to thrive, we must invest in prevention, value our workforce, and design care that works for people, not systems.

‘A healthier Wales is possible, but only if we have the courage to plan for the long term, to innovate, and to listen to the voices of clinicians and patients alike.’