Jackie Baillie MSP has called for more investment in our health service as an Audit Scotland report into workforce planning for primary care services reveals the extent of SNP mismanagement of our NHS.

The report revealed:

• The Scottish Government has not estimated the impact of workforce pressures on primary care services.
• There is a lack of national data on current workforce numbers, cost and demand.
• Increasing pressures will mean meeting the challenge of recruiting more GPs will become more difficult over the next ten years.

Figures in the report also showed that while the overall number of GPs has increased in the last 5 years, in Greater Glasgow and Clyde there has only been an additional 6 GPs employed between 2013 and 2018, representing an increase of just 0.6%.

In addition, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde were unable to fill 55.56% of their unplanned GP absences, higher than the Scottish average of 52%.

Jackie said:

“This report is a damning indictment of the SNP’s failure to plan for the workforce needs of our NHS, since they took over more than a decade ago.

“Primary care services like GPs and nurses are the backbone of the NHS but the SNP’s incompetence is crippling our health service. NHS staff are overworked and exhausted which makes doing their job even more difficult.

“NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde suffers from unplanned absences amongst their GPs and in 55% of those absences no alternative cover is provided meaning patients are waiting even longer for an appointment.

“It is clear that our health service is in dire need of more resources, the SNP government must work quickly to reverse this crisis.”