Page last updated: 27-JAN-2009

GP Workforce

ONS kitemarkStatistical Publication Notice

27 January 2009

Information on General Medical Practitioners (GPs), general practices and their populations

INTRODUCTION

The information released is in two main parts.  The first part presents data on GPs contracted to work in Scottish practices for 2004 to 2008. Information is presented on the age and gender profile of these GPs, also on the type of GP contract they hold (including salaried GPs, retainee and GP registrars) at Scotland, CHP and NHS Board level.
The second part of the release gives information on the practices and the patients registered with them, including:
  • the broad age distribution of patients at NHS Board and CHP level;
  • the deprivation and urban/rural status of practice populations.

KEY POINTS

  • There has been a steady increase in the headcount of GPs contracted to work in Scottish practices over the last 5 years, rising from 4,456 in 2004 to 4,921 in 2008 (an increase of 10.4%).
  • There has been a large rise in the headcount of salaried GPs, from 188 in 2004 to 452 in 2008 (an increase of 140.4%).
  • There has been an increase in the headcount of GPs in training in the past year, from 324 in 2007 to 491 in 2008 (an increase of 51.5%).  This is related to an increase in the number of training places available.
  • An increasing proportion of contracted GPs are female; for 2008 the figure was 48%, compared with 45% in 2004.

INTERPRETATION

  • At least part of the increase in the headcount of contracted GPs will be due to an increase in the number of GPs working part-time.
  • The increase in the headcount of registrars in the past year is mainly due to an increase in the number of GP training places available and also in changes to training arrangements.
  • The GP figures reported here include only contracted GPs and do not include GPs who work only as locums (also known as sessional GPs).  The actual number of GPs working in Scotland is therefore higher than reported here.  Further work is being undertaken at national level to gather information on the amount of clinical time provided by locums/sessional GPs and this will be reported on once the data have been collated and analysed.

DETAILED FINDINGS

There has been a steady increase in the headcount of GPs contracted to work in Scottish practices over the last 5 years, rising from 4,456 in 2004 to 4,921 in 2008 (an increase of 10.4%).  At least part of the increase in headcount will be due to an increase in the number of GPs working part-time.  Whether GPs work full-time or part-time is not available from these data, but separate work is being undertaken nationally to gather more information on the amount of clinical time provided by GPs in each NHS Board area and will be reported on once the data have been gathered and analysed.
 
There has been a large rise in the headcount of salaried GPs, from 188 in 2004 to 452 in 2008 (an increase of 140.4%). In 2004 salaried GP contracts represented 4.5% of all fully qualified GPs (i.e. excluding registrars) compared with 10.2% in 2008.
 
The number of female GPs contracted to work in Scottish practices has increased from 2,024 in 2004 to 2,376 in 2008 (an increase of 17.4%, compared to a 4.6% increase for males over the same period).  Female GPs continue to account for an increasing proportion of the overall GP workforce.  In 2008 48% of contracted GPs were female, compared with 45% in 2004.
 
There has been a large increase in the headcount of GP registrars (now also known as GP Specialist Trainees) in the past year, from 324 in 2007 to 491 in 2008 (an increase of 51.5%).  This reflects changes to the arrangements for training GPs.  The number of training places has increased in recent years (in particular with the introduction of a new GP training scheme in August 2008).  Additionally, GP trainees now work in practices during two stages of their training whereas historically registrars would work in practice primarily at the end stages of their training.
 
The average size of a Scottish GP practice in terms of numbers of registered patients was 5,367 at 1st October 2008.

It is anticipated that much of the information presented, including deprivation and urban/rural status of populations, will be useful as a resource for the NHS, the Scottish and other governments, general practices, research bodies and others.
 
Longer term trend information on GP workforce (back to the year 1998) is published on ISD's main workforce pages at www.isdscotland.org/workforce.
 

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MAIN CONTACTS:

Alistair Smith
Information Analyst
0131 275 6784
alistair.smith4@nhs.net

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GLOSSARY:

GP - General Medical Practitioner.
GP Registrar - A medical practitioner who is being trained in general practice.  Now also known as a GP Specialist Trainee.
GP Retainee - A GP who can be utilised by a practice as they are required. This primarily aims to allow female GPs returning to work after maternity leave to keep in touch with medicine, but it does not exclude men.
Salaried GP - A GP who is employed by the practice or by the NHS Board on a salaried basis
CHP - Community Health Partnership
 
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PRE-RELEASE ACCESS TO THIS PUBLICATION WAS GIVEN TO:


Scottish Government analytical and policy leads who are dealing with the release.
NHS Boards via Chief Executives.
 
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HISTORY OF THIS PUBLICATION:

Last Published: 29 January 2008
Next Due: January 2010
Data Avaliable Since: Paper publications since 1970s, web publications since 1996, data currently published on web go back to 1998.