To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports of a six-week waiting time for some non-emergency appointments in the north east and what action it is taking to minimise waiting times at GP surgeries in the area.
Over three years, the Scottish Government is investing £85 million, as part of the Primary Care Fund. As part of this, over £2million will be invested in work to explore with key stakeholders the issues surrounding GP recruitment and retention which can be particularly challenging in remote and rural areas. This will support a range of initiatives over the next two years including the establishment of a Scottish Rural Medicine Collaborative in eight health boards, including NHS Grampian and NHS Highland. This initiative will bring together recruitment strategies and support networks for GPs working in remote and rural areas.
We have committed to increasing the NHS revenue budget by £500 million more than inflation over the next five years and will, in every year of this parliament, increase the share of the NHS budget that goes to primary care.