Save Our Surgeries

The Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area is one of the worst in terms of the Kingdom with surgeries in Cowdenbeath, Kelty, Lochgelly, Benarty and Cardenden all having experienced problems in filling vacancies. It means that patients can wait several weeks for an appointment with their GP.

Mid-Scotland and Fife MSPs, Murdo Fraser and Liz Smith, joined Scottish Conservative Health Spokesman, Miles Briggs MSP, in launching the Tories' new “Save our Surgeries” campaign.

The Scottish Conservatives have put out the SOS following growing pressure on GP surgeries across Fife, Stirling, Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire.

There is an acute shortage of GPs across the country and Education Spokesperson, Liz Smith, believes that a lack of those in training is impacting on the service. It was recently revealed that a third of all GP trainee places were going unfilled in Scotland.

The Scottish Conservatives are calling for 11% of all NHS spending to be ring-fenced into general practice.

Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP for Mid Scotland Fife, said: “GP practices are under more pressure than ever. "More patients, increasingly complex health needs and greater demands on their time has seriously weakened the lure of general practice to recently qualified doctors.

“For too long general practice has been the poor relation when it comes to healthcare funding and we are calling on the Scottish Government to front up and give it the support it needs to survive.

“Across Mid-Scotland and Fife doctors are stretched to breaking point, it’s time to ‘Save our Surgeries’.”

Liz Smith MSP said: “Crucially, there is a shortage of those entering the profession and the Scottish Government must address this head on, most especially in terms of medical undergraduate places offered by our universities.

“Likewise, too many of the doctors who do train in Scotland leave the profession to work elsewhere.

“Furthermore, for surgeons or other clinicians looking to become GPs later in life red tape often gets in the way of doing so.

“Ultimately, general practice needs its funding to be ring-fenced otherwise queues at the surgery door will only continue to grow.”

Scottish Health Minister, Shona Robison, maintains that everything is being done to attract more doctors in training into general practice.

She told a Parliamentary committee that she accepts the shortage of GPs in Scotland is “very challenging”, but she refused to characterise it as a crisis.

Ms Robinson said that GP training places have been increased from 300 to 400 a year, with £2 million invested in GP recruitment and retention and more than £16 million allocated to recruit 140 pharmacists in general practice.