I grow increasingly concerned for the future of small rural practices, particularly those in the Scottish islands. There is a clear probability that as the GPs presently in their single-handed posts retire, they will not be replaced and primary medical care for the island communities will be provided by resident nurses with GPs visiting the islands regularly but infrequently (once a week or, more likely, less often).
The effects of these changes will be twofold: they will save the …