Taking it as a reference at the conference in Clydebank last week means that it does not form part of official GPC Scotland policy.

But it is likely to fuel calls for debate over separate contracts at the UK LMCs conference in London next month.

John Rankin, from Forth Valley LMC, proposed the motion, saying the time was right to think about a separate contract.

‘I believe a contract is something you go into and honour. But we're working with the London government, which is not honourable.

‘We must have the opportunity to discuss our needs with the Scottish government,' he said.

Dr Alan McDevitt, from Greater Glasgow and Clyde LMC, said a separate contract had some appeal.

‘The main motivation is to defend the NHS because in England we're seeing the destruction of the NHS,' he said.

But having a Scottish contract would not be without its flaws, he said.

‘The trouble is that there's a strong need for a unified profession. The downside is that we're not going to achieve that.'

GPC Scotland chairman Dr Dean Marshall said that the Scottish government had been slow at showing it was different from Whitehall.

‘I have no confidence that they will be the saviours of general practice,' he said.

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