Doctors’ representatives across Scotland have welcomed a new £15m investment to ease workforce pressures in primary care but say more “substantial long-term investment” is needed to address the crisis facing GPs.

The investment announced today by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care is set to support the daily running of GP services and improve retention and recruitment to meet increasing demand.

Health Secretary Neil Gray MSP says the Scottish government has been “listening carefully” to the views of GPs and the extra £15m for this financial year seeks to address some of their concerns around sustainability.

The new funding follows reports in June that progress in primary care improvements continues to fall behind need, despite the First Minister pledging people will be able to see their GP sooner.

BMA Scotland says the new investment is a “positive move” which acknowledges the immediate issues facing the workforce.

However, Chair of its GP Committee Dr Iain Morrison says the doctors’ union will continue to work with the government to find a long-term funding solution that works for doctors and patients:

“General Practice in Scotland has seen funding erosion and cost pressures generate a funding gap of £290m, which we must see restored.

“It is only by closing this substantial gap that patients will see long term, sustainable improvements in access to GPs and the care we are able to provide to them.

“On that basis, we urge the Scottish government to build on this and come forward with a substantial offer of new long-term funding that will put General Practice in Scotland on a more sustainable footing.

“General practice can offer so much more that it is able to currently. Only with substantial investment can we realise the potential and give the people of Scotland the service they deserve.”

This comes after GPs entered formal dispute with Scottish ministers earlier this year following a ‘generation of neglect’.

The Health Secretary says this initial instalment demonstrates the government’s commitment to primary care, alleviating the pressure on staff and improving patient access to their GPs.

The Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Scotland, Dr Chris Provan, says GPs are increasingly struggling to meet the growing demand and complex needs of patients “while the workforce shrinks”.

Dr Chris Provan says the investment is a “positive step”, but must be the beginning of sustained funding and support to GPs:

“This funding alone will not transform general practice or undo years of underinvestment.

“It must be seen as the beginning of a sustained commitment to properly resource general practice – stabilising services, supporting the recruitment of more GPs, and expanding capacity to improve patient access.

“Investing in general practice delivers better health outcomes and offers significant value to patients, the wider NHS, the economy, and society.

“Today’s announcement must mark the start of that shift, which now needs to be accelerated to ensure general practice is strengthened and supported to deliver the high-quality care patients deserve.”

The government says it will continue negotiations around further support to help GPs lead NHS improvement plans to shift the balance of care from acute to community.

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