MSPS to vote on bid to boost GP funding

MSPS will vote on a call by the Scottish Greens for a funding boost for GPS to help tackle recruitment and retention problems.

The party’s parliamentary co-leader Alison Johnstone will lead a debate at Holyrood tomorrowhighlighting a drop in the number of GPS as demand is rising.

Ahead of the debate, she said resources are not being made available to cope with the envisaged shift to services in the community which is key to the Scottish Government’s integration of health and social care.

The number of whole time equivalent GPS has fallen by 160 (4 per cent) since 2013, according to the 2017 Primary Care Workforce Survey.

Industry body the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) predicted a shortfall of 856 GPS by 2021 – which the Greens said would shift further work to under-pressure accident and emergency departments.

Ms Johnstone said: “The Scottish Government’s healthandsocialcarestrategy encourages healthcare provision within communities, yet the resources are not being made available to support GPS to deliver the quality of care that people expect.”