GP Rural Recruitment Best Practice Guide
Welcome to the GP Rural Recruitment Best Practice Guide
Recruiting and retaining General Practitioners in rural Scotland requires a thoughtful, informed, and community‑centred approach. Rural practices face unique challenges, from geographic isolation and workforce shortages to the realities of life and work in remote areas. At the same time, these settings offer exceptional professional opportunities, a strong sense of community, and the chance to deliver truly holistic, continuity‑driven care.
This guide brings together proven strategies, insights, and practical steps to support Health Boards and GP Practices in attracting, selecting, and sustaining the right candidates. Rooted in real‑world learning from rural teams across Scotland, the guide is designed to help practices improve their recruitment journey end‑to‑end, from early workforce planning and advertising through to applicant support, selection approaches, onboarding, and long‑term retention.
By applying consistent, evidence‑informed best practice, rural practices can create a clearer, more compelling proposition for prospective GPs while ensuring new recruits feel supported, prepared, and connected to the communities they serve. This guide aims to make recruitment more effective, more equitable, and more sustainable, ultimately strengthening rural primary care for the future.
Explore:
- Why This Guide Matters
- Recruitment Journey
- Good Practice Examples
If you need any further information or support, please contact us at nes.ruralteam@nhs.scot.
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Why This Guide Matters
The Challenge
This is a recruitment good practice guide - a collection of good practice to help when you're recruiting for your Practice.
You know from your own experience that people willing and able to work in rural parts of Scotland are a scarce resource. You also know the reality of living and working in Scotland - the fantastic and not so fantastic aspects. For example, amazing scenery but only when the weather allows you to see it and only when you can find the time.
Getting the right people for your Practice is not easy, especially if you don't do it often, so it's crucial that recruitment at Board and GP Practice level is as good as it possibly can be. Some Practices - and individuals - are better at it than others so the hope for these guidelines is that they will help us all to become better at recruitment.
The Opportunity
By applying the guidelines throughout Scotland and learning from other people's experience, we hope that more GPs will be recruited and that they will be recruited in ways that are more effective for you and for potential applicants.
The guidelines have been structured to help you at each of the various stages of recruitment - from planning for recruitment, through advertising, looking after applicants, selection, appointment and right to on-going support for a new recruit.
The guidelines are just that - guidelines that illustrate fundamental recruitment principles. They are not intended to be a comprehensive, step-by-step manual.
GP Rural Recruitment Best Practice Resources
Recruitment Journey
Ongoing Support
Good Practice
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