GP leaders in Scotland have called for urgent guarantees that European doctors can stay in the UK.

About 4% of GPs in Scotland are from non-UK European Economic Area countries.

The Royal College of GPs in the country said an exodus of European doctors would aggravate the growing shortage of GPs.

There are 226 European GPs in Scotland – and existing projections suggest a shortage of more than 800 GP full time posts by 2021.

Setting out its election “manifesto”, the RCGP says urgent guarantees on the rights of European doctors are vital.

Chair Dr Miles Mack said: “Promoting core values, our manifesto for the coming General Election, calls for governments to facilitate the delivery of sufficient numbers of GPs to overcome it.

“To learn that Scotland could face the loss of an additional 4% of its already stretched GP workforce is extremely worrying. It is one in 25 of Scotland’s GPs. It could negatively affect over 226,000 patients in Scotland.

“We are calling for Government to safeguard the GP workforce during international negotiations by guaranteeing the status of healthcare professionals already working in Scotland and the UK.”

* In Wales, the college also called for action to improve GP recruitment.

It also calls for policy-makers to free up GP time to enable them to focus on patient care.

RCGP Wales chair Dr Rebecca Payne said: “In this election, political parties must consider the impact their decisions on issues such as leaving the European Union, budgets and welfare reform will have on the NHS and on patients across the UK. Brexit in particular may have a significant impact on healthcare services.

“I urge candidates to protect the GP workforce in Wales during the Brexit negotiations and make it as easy as possible for doctors and other healthcare professionals from the EU to move to Wales and other parts of the UK.”