£30m for more face-to-face appointments in Scotland

The Scottish Government is providing funding of £30 million to support GP practices to continue providing a high level of care to patients through winter and into next year.

The funding will help with the provision of existing GP services, including: supporting more face-to-face appointments; extra GP sessions, practice nurse time and non-core hours covering all appointments; more administrative time and practice manager time; organised cover for reflection, learning and innovation; and external GP locum sessions.

The support package will be given in two instalments of £15 million, in December 2021 and April 2022.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The contribution general practice makes to the health and wellbeing of communities, through continuity of care and meaningful relationships with patients, is invaluable. We recognise that, as face-to-face appointments have resumed and demand is increasing, surgeries are working overtime to meet patient needs.

“This support package will allow practices to target investment where it is most required to sustain the high levels of care they have always provided through what is likely to be the most challenging period in the history of the NHS.”