ANOTHER out of hours GP centre in Scotland will close this summer amid escalating concern about the shortage of family doctors.
NHS Tayside has announced the Primary Care Emergency Centre in Perth will not operate overnight and at weekends from this Friday as they are struggling to find enough GPs to cover the shifts.
They describe the closure as temporary for the holiday period - although there have already been times when it has had to run with GP staffing levels at 50 per cent.
NHS Lanarkshire has already centralised its out of hours GP services because of similar recruitment issues.
Dr Michelle Watts, associate medical director for primary care in Tayside, said: "The out-of-hours service in Tayside, in common with other OOH and day time general practice services across Scotland, has been facing significant pressures in providing an appropriate level of cover for patients due to a national shortage of GPs. This is a particular issue over the busy summer holiday period when shifts are more difficult to fill due to annual leave commitments.
"To address these challenges, NHS Tayside will temporarily consolidate the out-of-hours service at a single base which will allow us to better plan and co-ordinate the service across all areas in Tayside."
The announcement followed reports that GP surgeries across Scotland are closing their lists to new patients because they are reaching capacity. In the Lothians 14 surgeries are said to have virtually closed their lists and a further 11 imposed some restrictions on new intake. In Fife 13 surgeries had closed lists at the start of the month. Two surgeries in Dundee are said to have closed lists, with restrictions being imposed by three practices in the Grampian region.
Grave concerns about the pressure on GPs have repeatedly been raised by the British Medical Association in Scotland and by the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: "Under this Government, the number of GPs employed in Scotland has risen by seven per cent to nearly 5,000 - the highest ever on record. We have also increased funding by 10 per cent and there are more GPs per head of population in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK."
A review of out of hours GP services has already been launched by the Scottish Government and they have asked health boards to assess access to all GP practices and report back. Ms Robison said: "This will inform any additional actions that need to be taken to ensure patients continue to have an appropriate level of access to their local GP practice."
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