Doctors' surgeries closed to new patients - your views online

More doctors’ surgeries in Edinburgh have closed to new patients, sparking fears that the GP crisis is “getting worse with no end in sight”.

Six practices in the south of the city are now fully closed to new patients.

Angela McKenzie: The council should not be allowing all these developers to build hundreds of new houses without considering funding/provision of additional basic infrastructure too like doctors, schools and nurseries. It’s ridiculous.

Tom Zgaj: The council’s objection was overturned by the Scottish Government. It’s thanks to them that we have greenbelt developments.

GP surgeries are struggling to cope in parts of Edinburgh and the Lothians

Carolyn Fielding: Let's surround Danderhall with building Shawfair. Thousands of houses and one GP surgery that has shut its doors to new patients. It’s bad enough the old patients trying to be seen. Supposedly they’ve been trying to employ a new GP for four years.

Marie Milne: Add to that all the new houses at Gilmerton and Gracemount – all the surrounding areas are struggling. There needs to be new surgeries and pharmacies in new housing areas, along with schools. They can’t keep building but not provide the infrastructure.

Margaret Cummings: At Danderhall Surgery it takes ten to 15 days just to speak on the phone to a doctor. Then if your lucky you have to wait another few days for face-to-face appointment. I do not blame the doctors or the surgery. The population has more than trebled in size and it is only a small village medical practice. I really believe once half a development is constructed there should be a clause forcing the building of critical infrastructure before they continue building.

Belinda Wilson: It’s the same problem in West Lothian where new housing estates are being developed with no expansion of existing GP surgeries. Patients are suffering. Is it any wonder that people are going straight to A&E for medical attention?

Keith Spalding: Closed to new patients? How about closed to existing ones? Patients have been trying to see GPs since the lifting of Covid restrictions and still can’t do it. You can walk into a hospital or a dental surgery but you can’t see a GP.

Catherine McCarthy: Maybe they should return to normal appointments. The last time I was in my surgery there were only two of us in the waiting room.

Dianne Morrison: “Normal appointments” are never going to happen. GPs are jumping ship rapidly, with many more planning to leave their jobs. Nobody wants to fill the vacancies. “Normal” has gone. Face-to-face appointments are time-consuming. Many problems can be dealt with much faster over the phone. That actually allows a hard-pressed, overworked GP to help more patients in one day. They're pretty well versed in many conditions so if a physical examination isn’t really required, it’s faster to deal with it in other ways. Some patients may just need a referral elsewhere or a prescription which can be arranged for pick-up or sent to pharmacy. Many GPs don’t just spend their whole day in a surgery either – for example, they do hospital and care home work.

Toni Edwards: No point taking more when they can’t see the ones they’ve got

Portobello parking

A controlled parking zone is set to be introduced in Portobello despite a majority of residents opposing the move. The parking restrictions will apply from 8.30am and 5.30pm seven days a week and mean residents paying for a permit to park near their home.

Alan Paton: I grew up in Portobello and revisited it recently. I saw a busy high street, busy shops and people able to park. The council seem to be determined to kill off all the local businesses. If they have spare money how about dealing with dirty streets, graffiti, weeds etc and smarten places up? If someone is going to the beach use the space from Kings Road to Seafield for parking.

Henry Campbell Gillan: You don’t hear many grumbles from those that live in existing CPZs. Would they want their streets clogged up again all day with park-and-ride commuters?

Kathy Aliberti: The residents of Porty are against so of course elected councillors, who are their employees, are for it. Why do they bother with the consultation? We all know they will do it anyway.

Willie Anderson: Our transport convenor wants to make life as hard as possible for the citizens of Edinburgh at a time of great hardship.