NHS Tayside chief: time to tackle Scotland’s doctor staffing ‘crisis’

Scotland’s health service is facing a doctor shortage “crisis”, NHS Tayside’s chief executive has admitted.

In a damning report, Lesley McLay demanded an “immediate response” to the problems.

She said: “Tayside, along with the rest of Scotland, is facing a real and present GP workforce crisis. This has been developing over the past few years but is now at the stage where immediate responses are urgently required.

“As practices continue to struggle to recruit, increasing numbers are applying to close their lists, redraw their boundaries and provide fewer additional services.”

Residents across Dundee have reported problems registering at GP surgeries due to a shortage of staff.

Dr Andrew Buist, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association Scotland’s General Practitioners Committee, said: “What this will mean for patients is that getting appointments is harder.”

Jenny Marra, Scottish Labour’s health spokeswoman, said: “We can’t continue with a situation where NHS staff, GPs and the public are let down by SNP mismanagement.”

Scottish Tory health spokesman Jackson Carlaw said the SNP had been “extremely complacent” on ensuring Scotland has enough GPs.

NHS Tayside medical director Dr Andrew Russell said: “We are working to develop posts and job descriptions that will help to attract and retain newly qualified GPs.”

A spokesman for the SNP said: “Investment in GP services has increased each year under the SNP, rising by almost £150 million, and the number of GPs working in Scotland has increased by 7%.”