Payments for teaching medical students in general practice in Scotland are to be doubled, it has been announced. Under new arrangements, practices will receive £85 for each session with a student – an increase from £40. A recent analysis highlighted shortfalls in payments for practices and this has been supported by a review in Scotland,…

Scotland is going to struggle to recruit GPs – and to fill gaps with other primary care workers, its official auditor warns today. The country has set a target of increasing GP numbers by 800 within ten years but workforce planning remains “fragmented,” according to auditor-general Caroline Gardner. Ms Gardner criticises limitations in data on…

The first year since the introduction of the controversial new Scottish GP contract has resulted in some progress – but there is still much to do, a senior GP says today. Marking the first anniversary of the start of the contract, Dr Andrew Buist, chair of the British Medical Association’s Scottish GP committee, called for…

A public survey has been launched by the Scottish Government to find out what the public wants from a new GP independent contractor model. The consultation is part of a parliamentary inquiry into the future of NHS primary care. It will ask whether the independent contractor model of general practice is the best way to…

Extra money has been pumped into a Scottish support scheme for practices because of its popularity, it has been announced . Around 50% of eligible practices in Scotland – 172 in total – have applied to join the scheme, which offers interest-free loans. The money available for the scheme has been increased from £30 million…

Health boards in Scotland have been paying day rates of more than £1,000 for locum GPs, it was reported today. The highest fee paid in 2016-17 was £1,400 for a doctor to spend a day in Orkney, according to figures obtained by Scottish Labour. NHS Lanarkshire pay a day rate of £1,132, the figures show.…

Nurses and other non-medical health care workers are to have a chance to become doctors in an innovative training programme in Scotland. 25 places are to be offered at Edinburgh University as part of a project aimed at tackling the country’s chronic shortage of GPs. Students will study part-time for three years and then undertake…