Question reference: S4W-25256
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 2 April 2015
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Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 30 April 2015
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs there are in Scotland; how many are in rural practices, and how those figures compare with those for (a) 2010, (b) 2005 and (c) 2000.
Answer
Latest figures show that there are 4,918 GPs working in the 993 GP practices in Scotland, 21% of these practices are classed as being rural.
In Scotland, for each of the following years below, are total number of GP numbers of general practices and the proportion of those practices whose postcode is designated as rural using the 8-fold Urban-rural classification.
| Year | Total GPs | Number of GP Practices | Number of these practices classed as rural |
| 2000 | 4,253 | 1051 | Not known |
| 2005 | 4,521 | 1036 | 22% |
| 2010 | 4,905 | 1019 | 23% |
This information is taken from part of ISD’s annual GP workforce and practice population statistics publication, which is available by following the following link, http://isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/General-Practice/Workforce-and-Practice-Populations/Practices-and-Their-Populations/. The data above is a snapshot taken on 30 September on each of the years shown.