Shortfall fear as GPs get only 7pc of NHS funding

LESS than 7 per cent of NHS spending in Scotland went to family doctors last year.

Overall NHS operating costs rose by 4.1 per cent to almost £11.7billion in 2016-17 – with £800million, or 6.8 per cent of the budget, going towards the running of the country’s 963 GP practices.

The Scottish Government has pledged to increase funding for GP services to reach 11 per cent of the NHS budget by 2021 amid concerns over their future.

But critics last night said the latest NHS figures showed family doctors were being under-funded.

The Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland has predicted the country could face a shortfall of more than 850 GPs by 2021.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Alex Cole-Hamilton said: ‘The under-funding of GPs by the SNP has contributed to the current crisis. There is no sign here of the funding boost promised.’

Health Secretary Shona Robison said: ‘These figures show total NHS spending was up by 4.1 per cent in 2016-17 to £11.69billion, while our expenditure on communitybased health services has increased.’