Scotland's GPs Call For More Support To Build New Surgeries In Growing Communities

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 10 Feb 2010 - 1:00 PDT

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GP leaders have called on the Scottish Government to create new measures to support the development of new GP practices in growing communities. The calls came from the BMA and Royal College of General Practitioners at the start of the first ever National General Practice Week in Scotland (8 - 12 February 2010).

Scotland's population is expected to rise by 7% to 5.54million by 2033. Nineteen of the 32 council areas in Scotland are projected to increase, although growth in populations is likely to be unevenly spread. Areas such as East Lothian are expected to grow by 33% and Perth and Kinross by 27%. These population rises, along with increasing stocks of new housing being developed in communities across the country, will create pressure on existing general practices, where list sizes continue to grow.

Doctors warn that increasing list sizes are affecting patients' ability to access local GP services.

Today, GPs are calling on the Scottish Government to put in place measures to ensure that town planners have a duty to consider the impact of new housing developments on local health services and for measures to be put in place to provide support for the creation of new practices where there is significant population growth. At present, small, but growing practices do not receive sufficient funding to make them financially viable.

Dr Dean Marshall, Chairman of the BMA's Scottish General Practitioners Committee, said:

"General practice is very much at the heart of local communities and the care we provide is valued by our patients. Everyone needs to have access to their GP at some point in their life, from immunisation of babies to care for the elderly. If we are to improve access and provide the range of services that patients need, then we have to make sure we have the capacity to deliver.

"At present there is no requirement for planning departments to consider the impact of new housing developments on local health services, we believe that it would be common sense to include this as part of the planning process."

Dr Ken Lawton, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (Scotland), said:

"This week is all about celebrating the best of NHS General Practice. GPs and their practice teams across Scotland are doing an excellent job of providing high quality services to patients, however the impact of a rising population makes this ever more difficult. We know that local communities value their GP practice from the wealth of nominations we received for the new GP of the Year Award. We must continue to recognise achievements and champion high quality general practice through ongoing training and development, alongside events such as GP Week. "

Notes

Average GP list sizes have grown by nearly 100 since 2006 (source: ISD Scotland).

Scotland's population is projected to rise from 5.17 million in 2008 to 5.36 million in 2018 and to 5.54 million in 2033, an increase of 7 per cent over the 25 year period, according to the Registrar General for Scotland (published February 2010)

According to the GROS report, the population of 19 out of 32 council areas in Scotland is projected to increase. The areas with the greatest projected increase in population are East Lothian (+33%) and Perth and Kinross (+27%). Every council area is projected to have more elderly people than today, though the scale of increase will vary.

General Practice Week

National General Practice Week: Celebrating the Best of the NHS General Practice (8th-12th February has been organised by the BMA's Scottish General Practitioners Committee (SGPC) in partnership with RCGP Scotland.

The week aims to raise awareness of the range of services provided locally to patients by GPs and the wider primary healthcare team, and also to encourage politicians to value NHS General Practice.

There will be a series of events to promote this week including an exhibition and reception in the Scottish Parliament, a members debate in the Parliament Chamber and the launch of the BMA's policy document "General Practice in Scotland: The Way Ahead".

Source
The British Medical Association

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