Number of General Practices with Registered Patients
type: Dataset
theme: Health and Social Care
timeliness: Reports data since 2007 as at 01 October for each year presented.
validity: Some 90% interactions with the health service are made through primary care. This publication makes information available to the Scottish Government and NHS Boards for planning and provision of primary care services. The data are used by epidemiologists to understand public health trends and by other researchers to understand the relationship of health and healthcare to other factors.
accuracy: Information on the GP workforce and the practices within which they work is collated and recorded routinely by NHS Boards in line with regulatory and operational requirements. This information is therefore considered to have a high degree of overall accuracy.
consistency: Information on the numbers of general practices is fairly closely comparable with that for other UK countries.
uniqueness: Not assessed
completeness: It is the policy of ISD Scotland to make its web sites and products accessible according to published guidelines.
comment: Data indicates the number of general practices (GP surgeries) by area as at 1 October for each year presented.
update frequency: annual
license id: uk-ogl
confidentiality: The ISD Statistical Disclosure Protocol is followed.
quality management: Quality checks are conducted by ISD. Figures are compared to previously published data.
geographical coverage: S08
geographical coverage: S12
geographical coverage: S92
will be updated: false
reference period: PeriodOfTime
  start date: 2007
  end date: 2019
description: Note: This dataset will not be receiving updates through this portal. Please refer to the [Public Health Scotland Open Data](https://www.opendata.nhs.scot/dataset/gp-practice-contact-details-and-list-sizes) platform for the relevant data. Data indicates the number of general practices (GP surgeries) by area as at 1 October for each year presented. Since the introduction of the new GP contract (the General Medical Services contract) on 1 April 2004, patients register with a practice rather than a specific GP. Please note that each practice has been allocated to one area based on the postcode of its main premises. However, practices may also operate branch surgeries from other locations and these locations may sit within a different area to that of the main practice premises. Practices in one area may provide care for patients living in another area. This is particularly likely where practices are located close to a boundary between areas, and/or where a practice operates one or more branch surgeries. The practice counts are based on regular GP surgeries that have at least one contracted GP partner or salaried GP working at them. They exclude practices which do not have registered patients and which are run directly by the NHS Boards e.g. Out of Hours Services, virtual clinics. Data Source for General Practices: General Practitioner Contractor Database (GPCD), Information Services Division, NHS National Services Scotland. Further information on GP workforce and practice populations in Scotland is available on the [ISD Website](http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/General-Practice/Workforce-and-Practice-Populations/)
version notes: The data are taken from a dynamic database, with ongoing updating of records. Each year's release includes a refresh of the previous years, and as new information comes to light the numbers may change from those previously published. In addition, several practices whose health board changed during the 2014 health board boundary changes were recorded against their old health board prior to 2014. These have now been changed to consistently use the 2014 health board boundaries for all years.
issued: 2026-08-13T11:59:18.668623
modified: 2026-08-20T17:20:22.581048
contact point: Organization
contact point: Kind

Health and Social Care
type: Concept

Public Health Scotland
type: Agent

number-of-general-practices-with-registered-patients.csv
type: Distribution
comment: Data indicates the number of general practices (GP surgeries) by area as at 1 October for each year presented.
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyCode
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyName
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyType
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: DateCode
  type: int
dictionary: Column
  column: Measurement
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Units
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Value
  type: int
table schema: Schema
  column: Column
    name: GeographyCode
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: GeographyName
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: GeographyType
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: DateCode
    datatype: int
  column: Column
    name: Measurement
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: Units
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: Value
    datatype: int
description: Data file for Number of General Practices with Registered Patients
format: CSV
access URL: https://admin.data.gov.scot/resource/20613873-9980-4f2f-8f38-b870c62627b9/download
issued: 2026-08-13T12:00:35.800633
modified: 2026-08-13T12:00:35.796392