GPs need meaningful Scottish government funding to fix the ‘8am lottery’

Family doctors can only end ‘the lottery of the 8am call’ if Scottish ministers pledge a more realistic approach to GP funding, according to a leading doctors organisation.

Unveiling a Programme for Government, in 2025, the First Minister John Swinney said the number of GP appointments would increase by 100,000 but gave no additional detail on how these appointments would be delivered by an already stretched service.

Chris Kenny, the chief executive of MDDUS, a mutual organisation that protects the professional interests of more than 65,000 doctors and dentists, said: “GPs across Scotland are stretched to the limit to deliver services to their communities and we hear day in, day out from them about the impact this has on them personally and professionally.

“In the most recent survey we conducted with our members, we found that three in five GPs in Scotland were suffering from moral distress and go home feeling they’ve let their patients down because the system just isn’t working for them.”

MDDUS is campaigning for better support services for healthcare professionals facing burnout and considering leaving the NHS in the face of system challenges they cannot overcome.

Mr Kenny said: “This pressure GPs face is exacerbated by a hugely concerning increase in verbal and physical abuse by patients, whose expectation of the service they receive is out of line with what the system can currently deliver.

“So, while it is promising to see the Scottish government prioritising the NHS with the intention of improving services for patients, meeting these pledges is simply not possible without work being done to boost the support being given to a workforce in crisis.

“Scottish ministers must commit to creating tangible actions for a renewed workforce plan for the NHS in Scotland.

“A plan that prioritises mental health and wellbeing support for our doctors and dentists and a plan that details what is being done to recruit more people into the healthcare sector.”

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