£5 million more to train Scottish medical students

Medical students will benefit from more teaching by GPs as a result of an additional £5 million of Scottish Government investment by the end of the current Parliament.

Evidence shows that training within a practice during medical school increases the likelihood of doctors choosing a career as a GP. As such, to encourage more surgeries to get involved, the tariff paid to GP practices to cover the cost of teaching undergraduates in primary care is being raised from £40 per session to £85.  

Scottish Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “It is only right that GP practices are properly funded for covering the cost of teaching medical students. Implementing the recommendations from this report is part of a range of actions we are taking to ensure we deliver the GP workforce we need. We will have increased medical school places by 190 in total by 2021 –­ a rise of 22 per cent from 2016 levels.

“In addition, we are widening access opportunities to study medicine in Scotland ensuring that more medical school places are offered to Scottish students so they have the opportunity to pursue a career here.”

The investment comes following a recommendation made in a report by The Increasing Undergraduate Education in Primary Care Review Group chaired by Professor John Gillies.