Over half of GPs in Wales say they cannot meet patient demand

Nation.Cymru staff

A recent survey has found that over half of GPs across Wales are failing to meet patient demand as a result of sustained underinvestment.

In a survey of 221 GPs across Wales, the British Medical Association found that 54% of respondents described patient access as routinely insufficient in the face of demand because of severe underinvestment which has stifled long term planning for staff and services.

The annual survey, which has looked at the workload, workforce and wellbeing in Welsh general practice since 2023, identified a service that remains under severe pressure, with significant consequences for GPs and their patients. 70% of respondents reported workload having a routine or constant impact on their own personal wellbeing, while 63% reported routine or constant impact on patient care.

As a result, practices are actively making cuts to survive, with 62% of GPs reporting increased personal workloads, 43% reporting recruitment freezes, 31% having to defer investment into infrastructure and 23% reducing service provision including minor surgery and shared care.

There are also ongoing signs of an overstretched workforce, with only 62% of doctors planning to remain as a GP partner in three years, while notable numbers anticipate early retirement, leaving medicine, or uncertainty.

The findings, published as part of the BMA’s ‘Save Our Surgeries’ campaign show a system under unprecedented strain, a result of 106 surgery closures, 20% fewer full-time equivalent GPs since 2012 resulting in a 31% increase in patients per full-time GP, and a service in receipt of just 6% of the total NHS budget for Wales.

Dr Gareth Oelmann, chair of the BMA’s GP committee in Wales said: “We want to ensure every patient can secure an appropriate and timely appointment, but how can that be delivered when practices are unable to invest in staff and services? This is taking its toll on both doctors and patient care.

“We share in the Welsh Government’s ambition to deliver care closer to home; as GPs we’re adept at knowing the needs of our communities but right now demand is far outstripping capacity.

“We now need to see urgent action from the new Welsh Government; please heed the warnings from our survey, backed by the recent Senedd inquiry into the future of general practice.

“With sustained, meaningful investment, family doctors would be able to enhance their services and plan for the long term, investing in more GPs and being able to provide patients with safe, timely care.”