Doubt thrown over GP target in Scotland

Audit Scotland has warned that the Scottish Government will find it ‘challenging’ to meet its targets around increasing numbers of people working in GP practices.

The watchdog’s latest report accuses the government of introducing major policy changes without a reliable basis, arguing that there is a lack of data on workforce numbers, costs, activity and demand.

The British Medical Association said that the report underlined the fact that more work needed to be done to make general practice in Scotland a more attractive option for doctors – warning that it was ‘difficult’ to see how the Scottish Government was going to meet its target on an additional 800 GPs.

Andrew Cowie, BMA Scottish GPs committee deputy chair, called on all players, including the Scottish Government, health boards, and integration joint boards and partnerships to work together to meet their commitments to the new GP contract in full – and acknowledged that remote and rural areas were facing particular challenges.

Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The report from Audit Scotland highlights the vital role primary care plays in delivering our long-term vision of shifting the balance of care towards community and preventative care.

“As we work to address the challenges in this area we are seeking to build on our record number of GPs by at least 800 in the next ten years. This is backed by our substantial annual increases in primary care and general practice funding. The new GP contract and investment in multi-disciplinary teams is increasing capacity in primary care and helping patients to be seen at the right time by the right person. It will also help reduce GP workload, making the career even more attractive to new doctors.”