Question reference: S6W-26658
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 3 April 2024
-
Current status: Answered by Neil Gray on 23 April 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported lack of primary care services and GPs in Lanark and the surrounding areas.
Answer
NHS Lanarkshire is responsible for the delivery of primary care services in Lanarkshire.
The headcount of GPs in Scotland is now sitting consistently at over 5,000, with an increase of 271 additional GPs since 2017 towards our 800 target. Training new GPs is key to our approach, and this takes time. We have expanded GP Specialty Training, adding 35 places this academic year and a further 35 places next year. As a result there are currently just over 1,200 trainee GPs in Scotland.
GP training programmes in Scotland have been filling at a very high level since 2019, with 99% posts filled in 2022 and 100% filled in 2023. 2023 is the first year in which GPST has filled at 100% in Scotland, with all 343 posts having filled.
We also invest over £1m per annum in a range of recruitment and retention initiatives so that becoming a GP remains an attractive career choice.