THERE are fears the fast pace of housebuilding in West Fife could leave more patients chasing fewer appointments at doctors surgeries.

And with a nationwide shortage leaving some practices already short of GPs, an influx of new residents will pile more pressure on local health facilities.

Thousands of new homes have been built in Dunfermline and West Fife and another 18,000 are planned by 2026, which will bring jobs and other economic benefits to the area.

But while, for example, Fife Council has plans to cope with the impact on schools, there don’t seem to be any proposals for new or expanded health facilities.

Councillor Helen Law, convener of the City of Dunfermline area committee, said it was more complicated as NHS Fife and the Scottish Government are also involved.

She explained: “To some degree, it’s a question for the Scottish Government as they’ve put pressure on Fife Council to get these houses built and they need to come up with answers about the health provision that will be in place.

“Because the funding does not come from the council, they can only make recommendations about what should go where.

“If the plans to build new houses were based on the facilities that are available, the numbers would be a lot less.

“We’re already going to be six months without an out-of-hours service at Queen Margaret Hospital and I fear the longer it’s gone, the less likely it is to come back.”

Impact on health centres is a common concern when major housing developments are proposed but the council can’t solve the problems on their own.

A report to the west planning committee explained: “The NHS operate a list system which allocates a certain number of registered patients per GP.

“If a GP has too many patients registered, then funding is available for a new GP.

“The funding of healthcare is an issue for central government and there is no policy or legal mechanism in place for the planning system to require a developer to remedy this situation.

“It may also be argued that more patients added to local GP surgeries may actually strengthen the case for additional services.

“However, the problems with GP recruitment nationally may mean this could take some time.”

Cllr Law added: “Part of the problem is getting staff. They can’t seem to get GPs for love nor money.

“We’re lucky we have quite a stable practice out in the villages, you can usually get a non-emergency appointment in a week and same day if it’s an emergency, but my son is in the town and he says it’s much worse there.

“It’s a real worry if we don’t get this right, especially given the scale of housebuilding here.”

Fife’s local development plan – FIFEplan – sets out what can be built and where and includes land allocated for housing.

It was adopted as council policy last year, following an examination by the Scottish Government reporter, and housing requirements for Dunfermline are set out in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland strategic development plan (SESplan).

Bill Lindsay, service manager at the council, said: “Health boards are a key agency that Fife Council, as planning authority, consults with as these plans are developed.

“Our focus now is working with the development sector, communities and other stakeholders – including NHS Fife and Fife’s Health & Social Care Partnership – to deliver the planned development and infrastructure for growth.

“We know that there are national issues with recruiting GPs but medical practices are effectively businesses outwith the control of the planning system.

“GPs are funded based on population and the number of patients registering. Planning applications have to be decided based on specific criteria and legislation.

“The matter has been discussed in the last year or so as part of the Planning Bill, with a view to achieving better alignment of community planning and development planning to reflect the aims of councils and partners.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “It is the responsibility of local authorities to prepare and adopt their local development plan.

"However, we are committed to promoting an infrastructure-first approach and the Planning Bill will introduce measures to improve the planning and delivery of public services.”