Loan scheme to ease burden of owning a surgery
GP practices in Edinburgh will receive a significant funding boost this year, the Scottish Government has announced.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has announced that an additional £20 million support will be given to GP practices across Scotland to help with the costs of running their practices.
The ‘GP Premises Sustainability Loan Scheme’ aims to ease the financial burden associated with owning a General Practice – in turn helping to improve recruitment and retention of much needed general practice doctors.
It means that GPs who own their own premises can apply for long term interest-free loans worth up to 20% of their practice’s value.
A total of 172 practices across Scotland have successfully applied for loans – around 50% of the total eligible.
The new GP contract in Scotland is backed by £110 million in 2018/19 to ensure that GPs are able to spend more time with patients, and less time on paperwork.
The Scottish Government is investing a further £7.5 million to improve GP recruitment and retention in 2018/19, and this announcement brings the total funding for the GP Premises Sustainability Loan Scheme to £50 million.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “The Scottish Government greatly values the contribution the GP profession makes to the nation’s health, and that’s why we want to make sure they have the support they need.
“Both the BMA and individual GPs have raised concerns with us about the financial risk of owning premises. So we have responded directly, and this scheme helps to ‘de-risk’ general practice and reduce some of the up-front costs GPs can face when joining a practice.
“In doing so, I hope this will make becoming a GP partner more attractive, making it easier to recruit new GPs to a practice. This in turn will contribute to our commitment to increase the number of GPs in Scotland by at least 800 over the next decade.”
Dr Andrew Buist, Chair of BMA Scotland’s Scottish General Practitioners Committee said: “At the heart of the new GP contract introduced last year was a clear aim to make becoming a GP a more attractive career choice and encourage more people into working in this part of the profession.
“Key to that is reducing risk and financial burdens around choosing to be a GP. This funding is a great example of this principle in action – and the practical benefits that the contract has secured for GPs.
“I am sure it will make a real difference for GPs across Scotland, as the popularity of the scheme has shown. While there is still much work to do to transform what it means to be a GP, I believe that through the new contract we are finally restoring hope to the profession.”
SNP MSP Ben Macpherson said: “I have no doubt that people in Edinburgh will welcome this significant investment in our local NHS service, which will help family doctors deal with the costs of running their practice and support stability for our local GP practices in the longer-term.
“The extra investment announced today will make becoming a GP an even more attractive career choice and encourage more people to join the profession – which will in turn make it easier for practices in Scotland to retain and recruit staff.
“This news is extremely encouraging, and following last year’s £110 million improved GP contract, will further relieve financial and bureaucratic pressures on GPs, allowing them to focus on caring for our communities.
“The NHS is one of our most treasured institutions, and the SNP in government is absolutely committed to ensuring it stays fit for the future. I would encourage all eligible GPs in my constituency and across Edinburgh to consider whether they would benefit from this scheme. ”
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