Hancock facing angry grilling
be little surprise on that basis that some practices are collapsing, with GPs cutting hours or leaving the profession due to workload pressures and patients struggling to get the care they need.
“This is a vicious circle, as the more pressure increases the less manageable or bearable working as a GP becomes for those left working in practices – forcing them in turn to cut hours or leave.
“I believe we really are at a tipping point for GPs and practices in every single area of the country and we need urgent action and support.”
He said Scottish Government pledges to increase the GP workforce by 800 by 2027 must be matched with investment to grow the WTE workforce.
Mr Yousaf said: “We remain committed to increasing the number of GPs in Scotland by at least 800 by 2027.
“I would like to repeat my thanks to all GP surgery staff who have worked tirelessly to support so many during the pandemic and as we start to recover from it.
“To support GP practices, we have recruited more than 3,220 healthcare professionals since 2018 and are committed to investing at least £170 million a year on growing primary care multi-disciplinary teams.
“We will increase the number of GP speciality training places by 35 in 2023. This is on the back of another successful round of recruitment this year with a 98 per cent fill rate. For comparison, there was an 86 per cent fill rate in 2020.”
Scottish Labour raised concern that the Government could fail to reach its 2027 target, and urged Mr Yousaf to “get a grip” on the crisis.
The party’s health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: “It’s no wonder general practice is at breaking point in Scotland when pressures are piling up but GP numbers are falling.
“The pandemic might have taken this crisis to new heights, but the SNP have been failing to act for years.
“They have ignored warning after warning and have failed to provide the reassurance that they will deliver on the crucial pledge to increase GP numbers, and that this in turn will be sufficient to relieve the pressures faced by primary care.”
MATT Hancock will come face-to-face with angry MPs in Parliament this week for the first time since his controversial jungle jaunt as he returns to Westminster for the second reading of his Dyslexia Bill.
The MP is facing questions over his political future following his third-place finish on ITV’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, with his stint down under drawing criticism from colleagues including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Speculation has been mounting over whether he will have the Conservative whip restored and seek to stand again at the next election.
He appears to be up against a tight time frame, as Tory MPs have been given until December
5 – next Monday – to declare their intention to re-run at the next vote, expected to be in 2024.
Mr Hancock is currently sitting as the independent MP for West Suffolk, having been suspended from the Conservative parliamentary party for flying 10,000 miles to Australia at a time when the Commons was sitting.
He has “no intention of standing down or stepping away from politics”, according to his team.