Slight increase in GP numbers “too little, too late”:

Scottish GPs are still facing a crisis according to the latest figures released yesterday.

The statistics from ISD show that while the number of GPs has increased very slightly since last year, practice numbers are down by a significant 8 percent in Scotland since 2008.

The figures have emerged after recent warnings from the Royal College of General Practitioners that Scotland could be short of more than 800 family doctors by 2021.

In addition, the average practice list size has also gone up since last year meaning that the average practice size in Scotland is now 6073, highlighting the increasing strain that GPs are under. The average practice size in Lothian has increased to 7980.

Shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said the small increase in GPs is ‘too little, too late’ and that the SNP clearly cannot be trusted with the health service.

Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs said: “The tiny increase in GPs is too little too late and is nowhere near enough to fix the crisis GPs are facing.

“The lack of GP practices directly affects waiting times and forces people into Accident and Emergency, putting pressure on those services as well.

“We know that the number of doctors in training is currently falling, so this small increase in GPs is likely to be wiped out thanks to the SNP’s chaotic workforce planning.

“Under the disastrous decisions of Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP we’ve seen a lost decade to try to fix the issues facing our Scottish Family Doctors and GP retention and recruitment.

“The SNP cap on the number of Scots domiciled students gaining a place at Scottish Medical Schools now sees only 1 in 6 young Scots gaining entry. That has to change.

“The SNP must support the Scottish Conservative campaign to ‘Save our Surgeries’ and focus 11 percent of the health budget towards family doctors. After 11 years of mismanagement it’s quite clear the SNP cannot be trusted with our health service.”