Jackie Baillie MSP, Wes Streeting MP, Health Secretary, and health centres across West Dunbartonshire.
By Democrat reporter
Scottish Labour has warned that the SNP is letting down Scotland after the UK Labour government met its target of hiring a thousand more GPs in just six months.
UK Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who is responsible for NHS England, made the commitment after the UK Labour government won power last year.
The UK Labour government claim to have tackled unnecessary red tape that was preventing practices from hiring newly qualified GPs and invested £82million to allow networks of practices to hire the GPs, with the funding continuing past this year thanks to the extra funding announced at the Budget.
The latest figures show the UK Labour government has surpassed its target by recruiting over 1,503 extra GPs since 1 October – with Streeting confirming that this amounts to a thousand whole-time equivalent GPs by the end of March.
By contrast, last month Audit Scotland warned the SNP would fail to meet its target of recruiting 800 more GPs by 2027 and noted that whole-time equivalent numbers had actually declined.
Commenting on the UK Labour government’s announcement that it has met its target of hiring a thousand more GPs, Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s Health spokesperson, said: “In just six months, the UK Labour government has delivered on its commitment and hired a thousand more GPs in England — the first step to improving primary care.
“Yet after nearly 18 years in power, this SNP government can’t even manage to deliver on its promise to hire 800 more GPs. In fact, there are less whole time equivalent GPs since that pledge was made according to Audit Scotland.
“Scotland’s GPs have been let down by the SNP. The NHS needs a new direction and Scottish Labour is ready to deliver it.”
ENDS