Scott’s NHS cash call

ISLES MSP Tavish Scott is calling on the Scottish Government to invest any extra NHS funding in GP services in order to help some of Shetland’s rural practices.

He said UK chancellor George Osborne was “set to earmark” £200 million for Scotland’s NHS in Wednesday’s autumn statement – Holyrood’s share of a £2 billion pot of money under the Barnett formula.

With Shetland GP practices including Whalsay facing difficulties recruiting and retaining staff, Scott has written asking to the new Scottish health minister Shona Robison asking for assistance – and will meet NHS Shetland this month to discuss the issues.

“The NHS faces real pressures,” he said. “Hard working health staff are really pressed. 90 per cent of he health service workload is in primary care – GPs and nurses helping people every day. So this new money allocated by the UK Government should be used to help with these pressures.

“Finding and encouraging GPs to work and live in rural and island areas is a challenge across Scotland. So the health minister and NHS management need to rethink how they are training and attracting GPs to work not just in the big city hospitals but in areas like Shetland.”

Scott added that the islands needed full time, committed GPs because otherwise patients are left without a regular doctor and the local NHS had to pay a fortune for temporary staff.