ONE in five training slots for GPs in Scotland has been left empty this summer as junior doctors turn their back on the profession.

With surgeries already struggling to fill vacancies for qualified GPs, there has been a marked drop in the number of young medics choosing general practice as a career.

With 65 training posts due to start this summer lying vacant, experts said the situation was"critical" and "poses a significant threat to general practice".

Medical bodies have already expressed concern that Scotland is facing a GP workforce crisis, with some practices collapsing because they could not replace doctors who left or retired. Surgeries in a number of health board areas such as Lothian, Dundee and Fife have also had to restrict the patients they take onto their lists because they are reaching capacity.

Now 21% of training jobs in general practice starting in Scotland this summer have been left unfilled.

Dr Elaine McNaughton, deputy chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland, said: "These figures confirm the critical nature of the recruitment situation which poses a significant threat to general practice.

"Although there are many factors contributing to this trend that we should seek to understand, action must be taken immediately, where possible, to rectify it. RCGP Scotland believes that repeated yearly cuts in funding to general practice send out a very negative signal. How can such a message do anything other than prompt a prospective student to question the future of the profession?"

As a field of medicine, general practice has been reducing in popularity north of the Border for a number of years. Back in 2012 96% of the training positions were taken, dropping to 92% in 2013, 89% last year and 78% this year. UK-wide slightly more GP training vacancies have been filled this summer at 80%.

Last week the Scottish Government announced the investment of£50m over three years to address immediate workforce issues in general practice. This was welcomed by the RCGP - but they also said they felt the shortage of doctors required a "much larger response".

The Scottish General Practitioners Committee (SGPC) of the British Medical Association has also issued a number of warnings about staff shortages and the pressure on GPs.

Dr John Kyle, who represents training issues on SGPC, said: "It is very disappointing that increasing numbers of trainees are no longer seeing general practice as an attractive specialty." He felt the intense workload shouldered by family doctors as they cope with rising numbers of frail elderly patients was one factor deterring recruits. He also said they may have heard older GPs talking about retiring or leaving early amid high workloads, stress and burn-out.

Addressing workload and giving more junior doctors the opportunity to experience general practice at the start of their careers were among the remedies he proposed. Dr Kyle said: "I think this problem has the potential to affect patient care down the line unless it is addressed."

The number of slots for trainee GPs was increased in 2013 to 305 and NHS Education for Scotland (NES), which oversees recruitment, has never managed to fill them all. Last year 270 people were recruited, this year 240.

Once their recruitment work - which is part of a UK-wide system - has finished health boards can try to fill any vacant posts left themselves. NES said they had filled 92% of training positions this year, but - in line with previous years - some specialties and regions had been "challenging". They have conducted research investigating how junior doctors choose their career paths and have "trainee ambassadors" who promote Scotland as a place to work. Initiatives to recruit GPs in rural areas and a programme to help older doctors return to a career in general practice are also under way.

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: "Under this Government, we currently have the highest staffing levels ever across our NHS, however, we absolutely recognise there are ongoing recruitment and retention challenges.

"We know that is true for General Practice - and while we would expect these fill rates to improve, as is the traditional pattern, we are working with the profession to make General Practice as attractive a career choice as possible.

"We have created One Year Career Development Posts targeted at those doctors uncertain of a career in General Practice, giving them opportunities to experience such work and help retain them within NHS Scotland."