SCOTLAND’S health secretary has hit back against North East warnings over GP practices “in crisis”.
In July, the professional body for GPs in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray, wrote an open letter warning of “unmanageable workloads coupled with a rapidly shrinking and exhausted workforce.”
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North East MSP Liam Kerr directly asked SNP ministers to address claims by Grampian Local Medical Committee (LMC), such as allegations the Scottish Government had “clawed back” money before it could be spent on pharmacists and practice support.
Neil Gray has now hit back, saying Scottish Ministers “would not accept its characterisation of the Scottish Government’s actions.”
Scottish Conservative Mr Kerr said:
“Across Scotland, GP practices are crying out for help from the Scottish Government. Staff and doctors are being pushed to the brink and this letter from Grampian LMC is a rare appeal to policy makers.
“There just aren’t enough doctors to shoulder the workload, the pressure is increasing as the average age of the population increases, and there have been no moves to increase multi-disciplinary support.
“This situation is even worse in Grampian region, partly down to geography but mainly because the blame for any gaps has been shifted to NHS Grampian and the integrated joint boards.
“Rather than claim there’s no problem, Neil Gray and the SNP need to get their heads out of the sand and start showing some leadership on health.”
In his letter to Mr Kerr, the Minister said:
I do not propose to cover all of the detailed points raised by Grampian Local Medical Committee (LMC). However, Scottish Ministers would not accept its characterisation of the Scottish Government’s actions and I believe it overlooks the successes that we have had since agreeing the 2018 contract as well as the difficulties we have faced.”
He added: “We know, however, that implementation gaps remain. Analysis indicates that the scale of change required to close the implementation gaps is significant but uncertain, both in terms of funding and workforce requirement.
“There is a need to understand what a sustainable model of full delivery looks like and what additional outcomes it will achieve.”
