It’s a national problem.

In the North and West of NHS Highland’s patch, the number of long-term unfilled GP posts runs into double figures. It affects communities as diverse as Wick, Thurso, Fort William, Gairloch, Lochinver and West Lochaber. One practice which should have six full-time GPs has only one and a half.

A development officer for one remote community said: “The more NHS Highland advertise, the more potential candidates see us as an unatractive place to work.

“We are doing all we can, with first responders to help a GP; beter broadband; offering a house site – but at the end of the day there is nothing we can do to address the bigger problems.”

Meanwhile, Caithness General Hospital in Wick has only managed to fill four out of twelve consultant posts; Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, has consultant vacancies in many departments.

At the other end of the country, NHS Dumfries and Galloway says it can’t retain the current level of GP services unless it recruits 25 new GPs by the end of 2016. In their flagship hospital, the Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary, about one in five senior doctor posts are vacant.

Dr Miles Mack, (RCGP)

Dr Miles Mack, head of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) in Scotland, warned the case was symptomatic of “a crisis evidenced across Scotland.”

Barely a month later, another NHS Lothian GP practice in Ratho was in crisis when a doctor quit. It was forced to close up to three days a week and could only operate on a part-time basis.

A development officer for one remote community said: “Te more NHS Highland advertise, the more potential candidates see us as an unattractive place to work.

At the same time 20 to 30 per cent of GP training posts in Scotland remain unfilled. Hundreds of young Scotish doctors are choosing to make their careers in Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere.

According to RCGP Scotland, the current recruitment situation “poses a significant threat to general practice.” BMA Scotland says: “This problem has the potential to affect patient care down the line.”

But it is not just doctors. In May this year, responding to reported shortages of nurses in Scotish hospitals, the Royal College of Nursing said: “There simply aren’t enough nurses to fill the gaps.”

A recent survey by consumer group Which? revealed that one

NHS Forth Valley 6 August 2015