A new GP contract has been formally accepted by the medical profession.
The agreement, jointly designed and agreed between the SNP Government and the British Medical Association (BMA), will bring the biggest reform of GP services to Scotland in over a decade.
Health Secretary Shona Robison welcomed the agreement, which will come into effect on 01 April, backed by £100 million of SNP Government funding in 2018-19 to support implementation.
Ms Robison said:
“GPs are an integral and crucial part of our health service. This new contract, which is a historic joint agreement between the SNP Government and the BMA, will ensure that GPs are able to spend more time with patients and less time on bureaucracy. It will cut doctors’ overall workload and make general practice an even more attractive career prospect.
“We’ve worked shoulder to shoulder with the BMA to develop this contract, and the fact it has the support of the members means I am confident it is the very best deal for GPs right across the country as well as for patients themselves.”
Kenneth Gibson added:
“I am pleased that this contract has been agreed which puts improved patient care at the centre, but also concentrates on improving workload support for GPs.
“If we want to attract young doctors into the profession and encourage GPs to take ownership of practices and have a fulfilling career, we must offer appealing conditions and I believe the new contract offers just that.
“The BMA is confident that this new contract best supports Scotland’s healthcare needs right across the country, and I am delighted that GPs have voted to implement this. It is part of an overall transformation in community health services which aims to increase the number of GPs in Scotland by at least 800 over the next decade, and will see the SNP Government invest an additional £500 million by 2021, of which £250 million will be invested in direct support of general practice.”
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