Question reference: S5W-27496
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 18 February 2020
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Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 March 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs it expects to recruit in the next (a) five and (b) 10 years.
Answer
We have a record number of GPs working in Scotland, with an increase of 130 over the last two years taking the number of GPs working in Scotland to 5,049. We are working to further increase the current numbers by at least 800 over the period 2017 - 2027.
Our workforce planning takes account of the information available on those interested in re-entering or retiring from the profession and we support a number of initiatives to retain GPs who are considering leaving the profession, including support for GP appraisals, mentoring, and coaching as well as a new Stay in Practice Scheme.
The new GP contract and investment in multi-disciplinary teams will increase capacity in primary care allowing patients to be seen at the right time by the right person. It will help reduce GP workload, making the career even more attractive to new doctors.
Scotland’s first Graduate Entry Medicine programme (ScotGEM) also focusses on general practice and remote and rural working, and in addition to the return of service bursary, the Scottish Government will pay the tuition fees for eligible students, offering an attractive package for potential applicants.
We will invest and extra £5M before the end of this parliament as we look to grow the next generation of GPs by increase undergraduate training in primary care. We are working to deliver a more sustainable medical workforce - with the number of doctors in training increasing by more than 6% since 2007, and by 2020-21 we will have increased medical schools places by 22%.