GP provision could become "patchy", the BMA is warning

The British Medical Association (BMA) Wales will highlight the number of GPs who are heading for retirement age and will need replacing within a few years.

Official figures reveal over half of GPs in one local health board (LHB) area in Wales are over 55.

The assembly government said numbers of GPs in Wales had increased since 1998.

In Merthyr Tydfil, more than half of GPs are over 55.

In neighbouring Blaenau Gwent, 50% are over 55, while just under a half in Rhondda Cynon Taf are.

A spokeswoman for the assembly government said: "The most recent data on GPs in Wales shows that overall numbers have increased by 4% since 1998 and the three-month GP vacancy rate fell to 1.8% at 31 March 2006.

"The new General Medical Services (GMS) contract has made it easier to employ salaried GPs and LHBs and practices have taken advantage to offer significant new employment opportunities.

"Salaried GPs have been used very successfully to tackle recruitment problems in places like Rhondda Cynon Taff, Caerphilly, Merthyr, Neath Port Talbot and Blaenau Gwent."

She said there was also an increase in the number of GP registrars in training.

"The new GMS contract was backed by an unprecedented planned increase in resources of 33% over the first three years of the contract," she added.

"Official figures released by the Information Centre for 2004-05 confirm that the actual investment in Wales exceeded the guaranteed investment by nearly �23m (+6.2%)."