'Burnt out' GPs voting with their feet by retiring early shows depth of NHS's problems

GPs are under huge pressure and their workloads only increase when colleagues decide to retire early (Picture: Christopher Furlong) | Getty Images

Anecdotal accounts of GPs struggling with stress and their workloads abound. Many doctors have responded to this situation by reducing the number of days they work. And, according to new figures, when they decide it’s time to retire, almost all choose to go early.

Out of the 1,183 GPs who have taken their pension since 2020, only 25 worked up until the state pension age, the Scottish Public Pensions Authority revealed in response to a freedom of information request by the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

Both these trends – part-time doctors and early retirals – suggest Scotland is not treating them well enough. They make it more difficult to get an appointment but also increase the workload and the stress for those in the job – making them more likely to think about retiring early.

Meanwhile, as The Scotsman revealed earlier this week, potential reinforcements in the form of locum GPs are struggling to find work, prompting some to consider leaving the NHS or moving abroad. One has even started driving an Uber to pay the bills.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said it was “little wonder” people found it hard to get an appointment to see their GP. “Right now, GPs feel burnt out, overwhelmed and under immense pressure. There’s no real incentive for them to stay and if the chance comes to leave, they’re keen to take it,” he said.

He added that his party had “repeatedly urged SNP ministers to address the crisis in primary care, so I am pleased that our efforts have secured £14 million more for general practice”.

But just think about how much more money might have been available if the SNP had not spent about £400 million, more than four times the original estimated cost, on the construction of two ferries, or nearly £1 billion on a prison to replace Barlinnie, or millions on pointless navel-gazing about independence.

Every time a government wastes taxpayers’ money, it means something else has to take a hit. Right now, the NHS needs every penny it can get – and government ministers absolutely determined to find solutions to its many problems.