There needs to be urgent changes to the contract to allow remote and rural GP surgeries to retain certain aspects of the new contract that were given over to Health Boards to provide - funding needs to follow the service provision. If this is not done as a matter of urgency we risk completely destabilising remote and rural healthcare for our populations.
Us rural GPs have been saying this for years. There are increasing numbers of practices having to be handed back to health boards as GPs leave/retire and these are costing a fortune to run centrally as well as providing poorer care as locums cannot provide continuity or service development. It is creating a vicious circle - as they have a legal obligation to provide the service, health boards are offering way more in locum fees than a rural GP earns thus dis-incentivising taking up permanent posts and undermining and demoralising the permanent GPs already there. I strongly agree with Island GP's post
I would go further than that and ask that Scot Gov realise that a one size fits all contract just simply isn't working across Scotland. Making it into a rural v urban argument is disingenuous and too simplistic. Some rural practices wish to see full inplementation of the contract just as some urban practices would benefit from retaining certain workstreams. Actually, I'd simplify it further and just as that Scot Gov listens to the people who actually deliver General Medical Services to the communities of Scotland.
Our GP was willing to do vaccinations but no, a team of nurses who could have been on the wards in hospitals is sent instead. GMeds doesn’t work here either! Please come to Braemar and SEE! And I totally agree with the Island GPS comments that one size doesn’t fit all and rural patients are at a disadvantage because of this horrible 2018 contract
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