by Bill Heaney
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today said that only his party has a realistic plan to fix NHS staffing and ensure everyone can see a GP when they need one, as he revealed that 97% of retiring GPs have left the profession early since 2015.
A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request found that of the 2,529 GPs who have retired since 2015, 2,458 did so before their state retirement age.
This means that over the past decade, 97% of all retiring GPs have taken their retirement early.
Scottish Liberal Democrats say they would make it easier for everyone to see a GP and skilled staff locally by:
- Embedding 900 new multidisciplinary patient-facing staff based in GP practices and neighbourhood health teams, including nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists and mental health professionals.
- Freeing up GPs’ time by empowering pharmacists to do more prescribing, making use of secure health records.
- Establishing a rolling 10-year NHS Workforce Plan, ensures issues are addressed early on.
- Boosting access to housing for health workers to enable them to take up posts, and creating new dedicated key worker housing.
- Creating a Health and Social Care Staff Assembly, putting the experience and expertise of those who know their service best at the heart of the Scottish Government’s response to the crises they face.
“When almost all of retiring GPs are leaving early, staff shortages build up in the system, making it harder for patients to get the appointments and care they desperately need.
“After nineteen years, the SNP cannot be trusted to help staff or patients. This is a party that hired less than 1 in 10 of the GPs they promised in 2017.
“From hiring more specialist staff to work alongside GPs and manage patient needs, to enabling pharmacists to do more prescribing, Scottish Liberal Democrats have got a realistic plan to get everyone the first-rate healthcare they need when they need it. You can turn those plans into a reality by backing the Scottish Liberal Democrats on your second, peach-coloured, regional ballot paper in May.”
Top picture: Alexandria Health Centre, close to Vale of Leven Hospital.