GP cuts: ‘NHS in a mess’

Tory MSP hits out

The number of GP practices has dropped by nearly 10 per cent in Lanarkshire – while the remaining surgeries are struggling with an increased workload.

Figures highlighted by Conservative MSP Graham Simpson show the fall in the number of GP practices during the past 10 years.

The number of practices in Lanarkshire has gone down from 115 in 2007 to 106 in 2017.

Meanwhile, the average practice size has jumped from 5760 patients in 2007 to 6428 in 2017 – an increase of almost 12 per cent.

MSP Simpson said: “It will be very concerning to communities across Lanarkshire that the number of practices under the SNP fell by 10 per cent. These statistics paint an extremely bleak picture for GP surgeries right across Scotland.

“They highlight the insufficient provision of primary care provision for my constituents – despite increasing demand throughout Lanarkshire.

“These alarming statistics underline the importance of our Save Our Surgeries campaign, which aims to reinstate the role of GPs as a vital cog in our health system.

“If general practice is not fit for purpose, the whole NHS suffers.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Health spending is more than seven per cent higher per head in Scotland than in the rest of the UK.

“By the end of this Parliament we will be investing an extra £500 million per year in primary care – including £250m in direct support of GPs.”