An ambitious plan to reshape primary care in Wales is struggling because doctors do not have the time to take part, an inquiry has found.

The Welsh government is aiming to organise practices in clusters so they can share expertise and resources.

An inquiry by the Welsh Assembly has concluded there is “still some way to go.”

Assembly members said the programme seemed “over-reliant” on key individuals. Impressive examples of good practice were driven by the enthusiasm and commitment of staff.

The inquiry says that many GPs and clinicians struggle to be involved “because of their challenging work pressures and the risk that their participation in cluster work could reduce their clinical contact time.”

The Royal College of GPs said the project would not work unless the Welsh government tackled shortages of staff.

Welsh chair Dr Rebecca Payne said: “We remain committed to the cluster model as part of the future of primary care but recognise that much more work is needed if they are to deliver a significant improvement in patient care.

“The GP workforce is already stretched. Rising workloads and staff shortages mean many GPs are having to work longer days to meet patient demand. This causes difficulties in fully engaging with clusters.

“RCGP Wales has been calling on the Welsh Government to expand the GP workforce by 485 GPs by 2021.

“This can be achieved by building on the recent recruitment campaign and increasing the number of GP training places from 136 to 200 a year.”

Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething has responded that the inquiry does not “recognise the progress made by clusters in a short time.”

He added: “For my part, I will continue to encourage clusters to evolve and mature as the right approach to planning accessible and sustainable local care.