Medical practice - contract and context principles of the Scottish Approach: update

Update to the general practice (GP) community, following announcements made at the Scottish Local Medical Committee Conference 2017.


1. Introduction

1.1 In November 2016 the Scottish Government and British Medical Association published a joint agreement - General Practice: Contract and Context - Principles of the Scottish Approach - on the future direction of general practice in Scotland. The document set out a shared vision for how general practice can be improved so that GPs can become clinical leaders of expanded teams of health professionals working in the community.

1.2 The document restated the Vision set out in December 2015 by Shona Robison MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport. The Vision is for General Practice to be at the heart of the healthcare system; for those who need care to be more informed and empowered than ever, with access to the right person at the right time, while remaining at or near home wherever possible; and for multi-disciplinary teams in every locality, both in and out of hours, involved in the strategic planning and delivery of services.

1.3 It also expanded on that Vision, locating it in the wider context of health and social care integration and showing how it informs and guides the work of the Scottish Government and the Scottish General Practitioners Committee ( SGPC) of the BMA to achieve transformative change through a new GP contract; as well as through working with wider stakeholders to create a new context for Primary Care.

1.4 Our shared Vision is being backed up by significant investment. On 15 October 2016, in a landmark announcement, the First Minister committed to invest an additional £500 million a year in primary care by 2021/22. This generational shift in investment will be the foundation of delivering the Vision for primary care and general practice.

1.5 At the Scottish LMC conference on 10 March 2017, the Cabinet Secretary reaffirmed our commitment to invest in General Practice. As part of the pledge to increase overall annual funding for primary care by £500 million by 2021/22, it was announced that £250 million of that investment will , in negotiation with the BMA, be in direct support of general practice.

1.6 This investment in direct support of general practice has already begun. In 2017/18 an additional £71.6 million will be invested to deliver funding across a number of areas to improve GP recruitment and retention, stabilise GP pay, reduce risks and make general practice a more attractive profession for new entrants.

1.7 In our November publication we gave a commitment to publishing more details on our agreed plans following the completion of the Budget Bill in 2017. This document meets that commitment. It provides a summary of the announcements made by the Cabinet Secretary at the LMC conference and, where available, provides further details on the start dates and operational detail of these commitment

Contact

Email: Joseph McKeown

Phone: 0300 244 4000 – Central Enquiry Unit

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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