Medical chiefs have spoken of the “colossal pressures” GPs across Scotland have been under for years – but just how much stress are they facing?
With large difficulties recruiting new doctors to the profession, many practices are struggling to offer as many appointments as patients may like.
In some cases, surgeries have been folded into others or taken over by new management.
Some areas appear to be facing higher pressures than others, including the likes of Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
But how far have GP numbers dropped in your area during the last 10 years?
Drop in practice numbers
Across Scotland, the number of GP surgeries has fallen by 8% in a decade.
Figures show there were 1,007 throughout the country in 2011. By the end of last year, this had dropped to 922.
Difficulties hiring GPs have left a lot of practices under pressure, relying on the likes of locums to cover appointments.
Longer-term, this has led to a number of closures and mergers.
Patients at Elgin Community Surgery were transferred elsewhere in 2020, and in December 8,600 people on the role at Carden Medical Centre in Aberdeen were also assigned new practices.
GP pressures tighter in north-east
In the north-east, GP numbers have fallen below the Scottish average.
Across Scotland, there were just under 5,200 GPs at the end of 2021 – the equivalent of 89 per 100,000 patients.
But in Aberdeen over the same timeframe, this figure fell around 10% – from 97 per 100,000 to 88.
And in Aberdeenshire, there was a 15% reduction from 95 to 83.
The only areas with larger drops were Stirling (-17%), and Dumfries and Galloway (-18%).
The Western Isles figure decreased by 22% – from 135 to 111 – but the small population size means this number may not be entirely comparable.
Large increases elsewhere
At the other end of the scale, Falkirk’s rate rose from 79 to 92 – up 14%, while West Dunbartonshire’s figure jumped 17% from 87 to 104.
Orkney and Shetland also experienced increases – of 14% and 3% respectively.
However the official stats from Public Health Scotland record the total number of GPs, with no accounting for how many may be full or part-time.
You can see every area in Scotland in our table here:
Ageing population could also play factor
The pressures on GPs have been worsened by Scotland’s ageing population.
Across the country in 2011, 16.3% of all patients were aged 65 or older – almost 900,000 people.
Within a decade, this proportion had risen to 18.7%, and more than 1 million.
Nationally, the number of GPs hired has increased by 6% in the last 10 years. But there have been repeated calls for this figure to rise even further.
In some cases, vacancies have been left open for years before an appropriate candidate has been found.
And in February, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf vowed to explore whether more cash could be put towards the Rediscover the Joy of General Practice project launched in 2018.
He told MSPs that, in 2020-21, the Scottish Government invested more than £300,000 to support rural GP recruitment.
Additionally, it offered £200,000 in relocation expenses and £400,000 “golden hello” signing-on bonuses.