SHADOW Scottish Secretary Lesley Laird has called on NHS Fife to take action after learning that 36 per cent of all GP practices in Fife have announced their patient lists full.

Indeed, at Lochgelly Health Centre the three practices housed there, Dr Kenneth Thompson; The Meadows; and Lochgelly Practice, report their lists are full.

The MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath said: “I understand that over the past year or so, the practice at Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay has lost up to three doctors as well as having to absorb extra patients after Park Road Surgery in Rosyth reached a full list in April 2016.

“The team there is to be commended for struggling on under such pressures but, despite hiring advanced nurse practitioners and an in-house pharmacist – new roles which NHS Fife said last year were not reflected in the GP statistics – many medical issues require a GP and a surgery can only do so much to stem the tide of increasing demand".

The MP added: “Fife’s patient numbers are growing, as are the health needs of an ageing population, and with fewer doctors - some reaching retirement - something has to give.

"Figures released by NHS Fife reveal 21 of 56 GP practices (36%) in the region now have full patient list and this includes the Lochgelly Health Centre practices.

“Kirkcaldy has had a long-standing problem with this issue over the past decade and seven practices have full lists currently but a further six practices announced their lists were full in 2016, followed by another eight last year which clearly illustrates this is a deepening problem across the region.”

The MP continued: “While residents will still be registered to a GP surgery through the NHS’ clearing system the growing demands being placed on a finite number of GPs is deeply worrying, as is the continuity of care being provided by locum doctors in the interim.

“Fife surgeries have the fourth highest average patient lists in the country – at the last count 6,827 per surgery – leaving some patients having to wait weeks for a standard appointment."

And the MP concluded: “The solution, of course, is to recruit more GPs, but recruitment drives have so far failed to bring in the numbers needed to meet the region’s health needs.

“Action has to be taken to address this growing concern and NHS Fife must publish its strategy to tackle it. NHS Fife should also clarify how many other surgeries across the region are close to declaring full lists too.”

NHS Fife are working hard to ensure that gaps in the availability of patient spaces are covered.

However, the Lochgelly situation will add fuel to the town's community council's campaign for a new spacious health centre.