SCOTLAND’S GPs will have their workload reduced and will be on course to earn a minimum of just over £80,000 per year, according to proposed new contracts drawn up by doctors and Scottish Ministers.
The Scottish Government will also provide an extra £30 million over the next three years to help practices reduce the risks associated with owning or leasing premises.
As part of the proposed change, some duties, such as vaccinations currently performed by GPs will be carried out by other healthcare professionals in the wider primary care team, while pharmacists will deal more with repeat prescriptions.
A change in the way the service is designed will allow doctors to spend more time with patients.
Doctors’ leaders at the British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland have been involved in drafting the new contract – which they say could make general practice “fit for the future”.
Dr Alan McDevitt, chairman of the BMA’s Scottish GP committee said: “This contract offers solutions to the pressures faced by general practice.
“By expanding the primary care team and working with integration authorities to improve patient access to services delivered by other professionals, such as practice nurses, pharmacists and physiotherapists, GPs can have more time to concentrate on being GPs.
“The additional funding attached to this contract is a significant investment and demonstrates the value placed on the role of general practice in the NHS in Scotland. The new contract offers income stability and reduced business risk to individuals.”
The Scottish Government said one in five GPs would be better off under the new funding formula that “better reflects practice workload” and would ensure no GP partner earns less than £80,430 (including pension contributions) by April 2019.
Speaking during a visit to a GP practice in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “GPs tell us they want to spend more time with patients with undiagnosed illness and less time on bureaucracy, while patients say they want better access to GPs when they really need it. We have listened and, I believe, we have achieved that balance.
“These changes will give patients the right care in the right place, and give those who need to see GPs the most the time they need.
“Patient safety is at the very heart of this agreement and is the central principle guiding how changes will be implemented.
“We’ve worked closely in partnership with the British Medical Association on shaping the future of general practice and primary care, and we are confident that this contract best supports Scotland’s healthcare needs while also making general practice an even more attractive career prospect for doctors.”
GPs will now vote on whether to agree the new contract, with a ballot taking place between December 7 and January 4. A decision will be taken whether to accept the deal at the BMA’s Scottish GP committee on January 18 2018.
Scottish Conservative shadow health secretary Miles Briggs MSP said: “Making general practice an attractive option for the next generation of medical students is vitally important in helping solve the current recruitment crisis.
“This contract looks like a move in the right direction, but it is 10 years too late and the Scottish Government must now show it can turn its words into action.”
Scottish Labour’s health spokesman, Anas Sarwar, said: “As in almost all aspects of our NHS workforce, there is a chronic staffing shortage among GPs, with the head of NHS Scotland saying just last week that in some parts of Scotland, it is almost ‘impossible’ to recruit GPs.
“Bold action has to be taken, both to stem the losses of GPs we have seen in recent years and to attract more people into the profession.”
Alison Johnstone, the Scottish Greens’ health spokeswoman, said the formula should see GPs in more deprived areas receive more money.
“This proposed contract by the BMA will go some way to addressing many GP concerns,” she said.
“Currently, GPs working in deprived communities with greater workloads are only getting an extra £2.28 per patient. But with fairer funding for these patients, GPs could allow for longer consultation times with those who need it most.”
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