Focus on job NOT indepedence: SNP BLASTED as MSP 'buries head in sand' on NHS GP crisis
HEALTH Secretary Shona Robison was today accused of having "her head in the sand" after denying there is a GP crisis.
Health Secretary Shona Robison has refused to acknowledge the GP crisis in Scotland
Doctors' leaders told MSPs those family practices faced "inhumane" workloads and that "crisis is now manifest".
Dr Alan McDevitt, chairman of the British Medical Association Scotland's GP committee, highlighted latest figures showed a 28.6 per cent vacancy rate across the country.
What I'm focused on is coming up with a range of solutions that get us to a point where people want to go into general practice, stay in general practice, and work work here in Scotland
The number of GP posts still vacant after six months is also up from 42 last year to 80 this year.
He told Holyrood's health committee: "We are getting clear evidence now of a major recruitment problem.
"In addition to that practices can't obtain locums when they go on holiday, for sickness and maternity - so we have very clear evidence now of a recruitment problem to general practice.
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"In terms of determining what the problems are, we are now seeing them very real and they are actually beginning, I think, to affect patients and I think that is when it becomes a crisis when patient care begins to be affected by the numbers of general practitioners we have."
Dr Miles Mack, chair of the Scottish Council of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said that while headcount has increased by 7 per cent the number of full time GPs has actually fallen by 2 per cent in the last two years.
He added: "It does seem that the workforce planning has gone awry, we're not actually investing in the workforce in the place where we should have it."
The number of GP posts still vacant after six months is also up from 42 last year to 80 this year
But pressed twice Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton on whether she accepts there is a crisis Ms Robison replied: "No, I would characterise it as being very challenging.
Dr Alan McDevitt highlighted latest figures showed a 28.6 per cent vacancy rate across the country
"What I'm focused on is coming up with a range of solutions that get us to a point where people want to go into general practice, stay in general practice, and work work here in Scotland."
She told MSPs her plan included increasing GP training places from 300 to 400 a year, with £2 million invested in GP recruitment and retention.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said the health secretary appears to have her 'head in the sand'
But Mr Cole-Hamilton later said: “The Health Secretary appears to have her head in the sand over Scotland’s GP crisis.
“An entire profession is looking to the SNP for leadership here but the Government have their fingers firmly in their ears."