Nearly 160 sessional GPs currently ‘seeking work’ in Scotland alone

Nearly 160 full-time equivalent salaried and locum GPs in Scotland are currently ‘seeking work’, a new BMA survey has revealed.

The poll found that nearly half of GPs (44.58%) in Scotland say the future of their practice is ‘precarious’ or ‘not sustainable’, up 10% since 2023, and that many GPs are struggling to cope with their workload, with some describing it as ‘unmanageable’.

At the same time, almost 160 FTE GPs are currently looking for work and could potentially be available, which would provide ‘approximately 700,000 additional appointments annually’, the union said.

‘This increase in capacity would be achievable if all sessional GPs seeking more work were able to secure their desired number of working hours,’ the BMA said.

Nearly all GPs who took part in the survey (95.62%) indicated that they could take on more GPs if they received adequate funding. 

The survey on GP wellbeing and funding also found:

• Four out of ten GPs  (41.61%) say their practice is unable to meet patient demand for access and there is ‘no realistic chance of this in the near future’.
• Almost all GPs (98.5%) believe urgent and sustained investment into general practice is necessary.
• Nearly half of GPs (48.86%) say they are struggling to cope and work is having a negative impact on their physical and mental wellbeing and a quarter (26.23%) describe their current workload as ‘unmanageable’.

The BMA’s Scottish GP committee has recently launched a campaign calling for a £290m funding gap to be addressed.

GPC Scotland chair Dr Morrison said: ‘This survey has found most practices would be able to take on more GPs if they had the funding available, as well as showing there are GPs who are looking for work.

‘Patients will rightly be bewildered that there are GPs struggling to find enough work while they can face a struggle to get an appointment.

‘If the required funding was made available, patients would be able to rapidly see the benefits with the equivalent of 160 WTE GPs currently seeking to take on work.’

He added that this is a situation which is ‘completely unsustainable’ and is taking a toll on GPs who ‘want to deliver a service they can be proud of, rather than one they need to apologise for’.

Dr Iain Morrison added: ‘The survey reveals an alarming number of practices are on the brink, with nearly half of GPs expressing concern about the sustainability of their practice in the future.

‘Surgeries are at the heart of communities and we simply cannot afford to lose one more as a consequence of erosion of funding and rising cost pressures.

‘That’s why we are calling for everyone to “stand with your surgery” and advocate for general practice to receive more funding, to be able to better serve their communities.

‘This must begin with urgent action to deliver £290m for full funding restoration – around one percent of the Scottish NHS budget – which would initially help to stabilise General Practice and then grow the GP workforce to improve access and services for patients.’

Recent BMA surveys have suggested that 15% of GPs in England are unable to find any work at all, while one in five are making ‘definite plans’ to leave the profession because they are struggling to find work.

The union also recently revealed ‘heartbreaking’ stories of GP unemployment, including accounts of GPs planning to move abroad without their family in order to send money back or exploring different careers as life coaches or bus drivers.

Pulse has looked at the unemployment and recruitment crisis in detail earlier this year, including figures indicating that around a quarter of salaried GPs and locums are looking for a permanent role at the same time as practices are facing a shortfall in GP numbers.