Available Scots GP appointments plummet as services on 'edge of the cliff'

New figures show more than 300,000 fewer GP interactions than a year ago.

The number of GP appointments available to Scots in a single month has fallen by more than 300,000 since 2023.

New figures show 2.8 million patients had appointments including face to face, telephone, video or EConsultations in August but this number was 317,149 fewer than in August 2023.

In total GP surgeries, including GPs, nurses and allied health professionals, had 7.6 million “encounters” a drop of 417,700 over the same period in 2023.

Meanwhile, there were 71,600 out of hours contacts which is a drop of 8% on the previous year at the same time as attendances at A & Es rose by more than five per cent from 127,394 in 2023 to 133,454 in August 2024.

Get the latest headlines sent straight to your inbox with our newsletter

Did you know you can keep up to date with the latest news by signing up to our daily newsletter?

We send a morning and lunchtime newsletter covering the latest headlines every day.

We also send coronavirus updates at 5pm on weekdays, and a round up of the week's must-read stories on Sunday afternoons.

Signing up is simple, easy and free.

You can pop your email address into the sign up box above, hit Subscribe and we'll do the rest.

Alternatively, you can sign up and check out the rest of our newsletters here.

Earlier this year GPs told how the crisis in NHS dentistry could be repeated in GP surgeries across Scotland - with families facing a future without a doctor.

They made a urgent call for more investment with GP services described as being at the “edge of the cliff “.

It comes after a decade that has seen the number of practices fall by almost one in 10 while the population of the country has increased.

Scottish Lib-Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “These figures come at a time when GPs are crying out for support to meet patient need.

“Across the country, people are finding it near-impossible to see their GP, with some ringing their surgery hundreds of times a day and often getting nowhere.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to get people fast access to GPs and a wider range of skilled staff locally.

“We would draw on the wider skills that exist in mental health physiotherapy, pharmacy and more, lessening the load on GPs and getting everyone fast access to the best care.”

Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.