STATISTICS released from ISD Scotland reveal the number of GPs in Fife has decreased whilst the number of patients has risen, compared to a decade ago.

The facts are borne out by the position in the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area where all surgeries have been struggling to find replacement GPs and at times in Lochgelly one doctor has had 3,600 patients on their rosta.

The official figures show that despite a rise of 14 GPs from last year, the number of GPs in Fife is still down 2% from ten years ago. Figures released in March this year also indicate that there has been a shift in GPs from full to part-time in the Kingdom with the full-time equivalent number falling by 8% from 235 to 216.

There are currently 383,709 people registered with a practice in Fife, a 3% rise, meaning that the average size of a GP practice list has seen a 7% increase. As a result, Fife has less GPs treating more patients.

There has also been a significant increase in the number of patients enrolled in what is known as a “2C practice”, which is most likely to mean that the NHS Board runs the practice. In 2008 only 2,193 patients were enrolled with a practice under NHS control, in 2018 this has increased by 388% to 10,701.

These stats follows news that a quarter of GP practices in Fife are full, with 18 GPs in total registering a full practices list. This includes all surgeries in Kirkcaldy and Lochgelly, and four out of five in Dunfermline. Seven GP practises are experiencing long-term recruitment difficulties with two considered “a high risk situation.”

Commenting on the new figures, Claire Baker MSP said: “These figures make for extremely worrying reading and the Scottish Government must sit up and take notice.

“The SNP have been in charge of our health service and GP recruitment for over a decade. Yet in that time, they have presided over a GP crisis in Fife that shows no signs of letting up.

“Whilst the number of GPs may have increased in the last year it is still below the number of GPs that were employed in Fife in 2008. With many GPs in the region going part-time, we have fewer doctors having to do more work. This is simply unsustainable".

Ms Baker claimed: “After 11 years in charge of our NHS, this is a situation of the Scottish Government’s making.

“Ultimately it is patients who will suffer as they struggle to get appointments. We urgently need solutions to Fife’s GP crisis and I will be raising this issue in Parliament.”

Scottish Conservative MSP for Mid-Scotland & Fife, Alexander Stewart said: “The lack of GP practices directly affects waiting times and forces people into Accident and Emergency, putting pressure on those services as well.

“Under the disastrous decisions of Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP we’ve seen a lost decade to try to fix the issues facing our GP’s."

The Scottish Government insists that work is continuing to go on to ease the problem and moves are taking place to fill empty positions.