A new survey from the British Medical Association shows that GPs are battling increasing workloads and have to make difficult funding decisions due to a lack of investment. 

More than half of GPs in Wales say they are routinely unable to meet patient demand because years of severe underinvestment have left them struggling to cope. 

A new survey by the British Medical Association (BMA) Cymru Wales paints a bleak picture of conditions in GP surgeries, with excessive workloads impacting patient care and reduced services. 

Campaigners have long highlighted the need for further investment in GP surgeries in Wales. Between 2012 and September 2025, the number of practices decreased from 474 to 368, while at the same time the number of patients registered in Wales has increased by 148,233, nearly 5%. 

The annual BMA survey, of which 221 GPs took part, shows doctors under consistent pressure and having to make difficult decisions about the future of the surgeries. Some 54% described patient access as routinely inadequate in the face of demand. Meanwhile, 43% reported recruitment freezes, and 31% say they are deferring investment into the premises and IT facilities. 

In March, the Senedd Health and Social Care Committee’s report on the future of general practice said “bold action” was needed to ensure additional services could be delivered in surgeries, to ease pressure on hospitals. 

It also called for reliance on time-limited booking windows, known as the “8 am scramble”, to be reduced and continuity of care to be restored. 

The Plaid Cymru government, which came to power in May after defeating Welsh Labour, has since pledged to recruit up to 100 new salaried GPs as part of a £145 million package focused on bringing down NHS waiting lists and getting people diagnosed more quickly. 

Gareth Oelmann, chair of the BMA’s GP committee in Wales, says that in order for every patient to secure timely appointments, surgeries must be able to invest in staff and services. 

While the BMA shares the government’s ambition to deliver care closer to home, currently “demand is far outstripping capacity,” Oelmann added. Sustained investment would mean family doctors could plan for the long term, he said.