Reform of GP care in Scotland fails to deliver

A new deal for GPs in Scotland which promised to transform their working lives has been a failure, says a damning report from Audit Scotland.

A contract agreed with the Scottish government in 2018 envisaged GPs working at the head of expanded primary care teams to deliver improved services.1 It sought to tackle the financial pressures and growing workloads facing family doctors and improve access to care for patients.

Audit Scotland analysis found, however, that the contract failed to deliver on several of its commitments.2 Pressures on general practice have increased, investment as a proportion of overall NHS spending has fallen, the number of full time …