Research by the British Medical Association shows the number of unfilled family doctor posts is soaring, while existing GPs are struggling to cope with the needs of more than a million extra patients.

We are approaching melt-down in general practice with a dire shortage of family doctors Dr Bob Broughton, BMA

A sample of local health groups across Wales was asked for the GP vacancy rates in October and November 2002.

When the Welsh Assembly Government published its own GP vacancy rates for Wales in October 2002 it showed that, on average, 1.8% of posts in Wales had been empty for three months or more.

More recent data collected in the BMA survey has shown that the figure has risen to 2.8%.

The average family doctor has a list containing 1,800 patients. So, for every missing full-time GP, 1,800 patients have to be shared out among the remaining doctors.

Recruiting problems

Dr Andrew Dearden, chairman of the BMA's General Practitioners Committee Wales, said the study showed a huge rise in the number of slots remaining empty.

"This is further evidence of the increasing difficulty in recruiting enough GPs to expand the numbers working in Wales," he said.

"At the moment we are, at best, replacing the ones who are retiring or retiring early, and those who are reducing their working hours due to excessive workload.

Dr Dearden said the new GP contract, currently being negotiated between the BMA and the UK government, was "absolutely vital" in improving the numbers of GPs in Wales providing care to the population.

'No-go areas'

Welsh Secretary of the BMA Dr Bob Broughton said: "We are approaching melt-down in general practice with a dire shortage of family doctors.

"There simply aren't enough to go round. If current trends continue we will see no-go areas where it is simply not possible to fill vacancies.

"The solution lies in a new GP contract to make general practice a more attractive career for young GPs and to encourage existing ones to stay in practice or return if they have already left."