National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care: Information Hub

Project background: What and Why

General Practitioners (GPs) in remote, rural and island (RRI) areas of Scotland can face unique challenges including high workloads, professional isolation and difficulty accessing protested time for professional development. These pressures can contribute to burnout and an increasing intention to leave the profession - threatening workforce sustainability and equitable access to care.

The Supporting our GP Workforce Qualitative Study aims to identify the key priorities for improving working lives among RRI GPs and to identify potential solutions for workload management, protected time and long-term retention. The core objective of this project is to evaluate the priorities identified by GPs to gain insight into the increasing challenges facing primary care.   

Project descriptions: Who and How

The study has three core elements:

• A rapid review of the literature (The SMART Study) exploring international and Scottish evidence on workload, intention to leave, and protected time among rural GPs
• An online survey of GPs working in RRI Scotland, now completed, with analysis underway
• A set of focus groups and qualitative interviews to explore context-specific experiences and recommendations

A mixed-methods approach is being used to identify common themes and generate grounded, relevant findings for policy and practice. Data will inform future recommendations for how to better support, retain, and empower GPs in RRI communities.

The National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care is leading the study, in line with its goal to strengthen the rural health workforce and inform evidence-based approaches to recruitment, retention, and professional development.

This project contributes directly to national priorities around workforce wellbeing and service sustainability and complements other National Centre projects focused on education, protected learning time, and career pathways for rural GPs.

Expected outcome:  When and What Difference

The study began in July 2024 and will be completed in March 2026.

Outputs will include:

• A peer-reviewed publication summarising key findings
• A short evidence briefing for stakeholders and policymakers
• Recommendations for practical actions to improve GP workload, increase protected time, and reduce the intention to leave
• Insights to guide long-term strategy and protected time implementation in RRI Scotland