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Sunday, 09 July 2006 08:59

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Shortage as women GPs go part-time

A survey by officials at NHS Education for Scotland has revealed that the health service is facing a massive staff shortage because the growing numbers of female GPs are working fewer hours than their male counterparts.

They claim that female doctors tend to work fewer hours, preferring to do part-time work and job-sharing, meaning that although the total number of GPs working in Scotland has soared over the last 10 years, the amount of time spent with patients has changed little.

The report, written together with researchers at Edinburgh University, states:

"The rapidly increasing proportion of women in general practice may lead to an increasing shortfall of medical availability in the future if current work patterns are maintained”.

Mary Church, a GP negotiator for the British Medical Council, said the NHS needed to change its recruitment and employment policy to prevent future shortages.

She said: "Either more money must be spent training more doctors to ensure there is enough cover with less of a return, or they need to change the balance of female to male doctors working in the NHS”.

A spokesman for the Scottish Executive said: "Workforce planning is ongoing and the number of medical training places for doctors is considered on an annual basis.

"The changing shape of the workforce, including increases in part-time working, is taken into account when we do this planning”.