Medical specialty training and transition to the GP workforce

This is the second release of statistics on postgraduate medical training in Scotland by NHS Education for Scotland. This includes the number of doctors starting and completing General Practice (GP) specialty training programme in each year, the transition probability between the start of specialty training and completion, and between completion of specialty training and participation in the GP workforce. The publication also includes the number of doctors participating in the GP workforce together with the inflows and outflows of GPs that determine this number.

The trained GP workforce in this publication includes those working in substantive roles (performer, performer salaried and performer retainee) in a general practice in Scotland. GPs working only in the Out of Hours service or only in locum roles are not included.

These are released as Official Statistics in Development (OSID). In May 2026, we announced that we are making changes to the original development plan. This publication will contain GP training only. In line with our original plan, the publication will add Training Region and Health Board breakdowns of the GP training and employment data. We have also made several presentational improvements to the dashboard in response to feedback. Further information is available in the Medical specialty training and transition to the GP workforce section of the Official Statistics webpage.

National Primary Care Clinicians Database (NPCCD) is a dynamic system containing information on the in hours GP workforce in Scotland. Data are labelled as provisional when published since a full extract is taken each time. The workforce data presented here have been revised up to and including 30 September 2025. For the latest GP workforce figures please see the NHS Scotland workforce official statistics publication released on 2 June. Training statistics have not been revised and are as reported in December 2025.

• There were 385 doctors who started year one GP specialty training in 2025.  
  
  
• Approximately two thirds of doctors completed GP specialty training within four years.
  
  
• There were 276 doctors who completed GP specialty training in 2025. This includes 41 doctors who are predicted to complete between the data extract date and the end of the year.
  
  
• Around two thirds of specialty registrars entered the GP workforce two years after completing training in Scotland. This does not account for newly qualified doctors who are working only as locums or in the out of hours service.
  
  
• There were 4,616 GPs (excluding specialty registrars) on 30 September 2025. Over the last year, 223 specialty registrars joined the GP workforce, 73 GPs returned, and 70 GPs joined from other sources, and 240 GPs left.