Meeting of the Parliament 23 February 2016
Investment in GP services has increased each year under this Government, rising by almost £150 million from £704.6 million in 2007-08 to £852.6 million in 2014-15. This equates to a cumulative increase of £826 million since the Government came to power.
We are committed to supporting and developing primary care and the work of GPs, which is an indispensable part of our community health service. However, it is important that the investment that is made in general practice is seen in a broader context. We are investing in the whole of primary care, which includes increased investment in the Scottish Ambulance Service in 2016-17 and an increase in the number of health visitors, both of which will have a beneficial impact on general practice, as well as increasing our support for community-based mental health services.
Scotland has the highest number of GPs per head of population of the four United Kingdom countries, and under this Government the number of GPs who work in Scotland has increased by 7 per cent. We are transforming primary care, including developing new ways of working with multidisciplinary teams that elevate the role of GPs as medical experts in the community. That is supported by extra investment of £85 million over three years through the primary care fund.