Why SNP's walk-in GP centre is seen as a pre-election gimmick by doctors
Between 2013 and 2025, each GP in Scotland has taken on an average of 165 extra patients
Imagine meeting a stranger, and in ten minutes convincing them to share their innermost fears, figuring out what might be wrong and suggesting a solution. That’s the skill of GPs – expert medical generalists – but for too long they have been taken for granted.
This morning was no doubt frustrating for the thousands of Scots who tried to book a GP appointment and found themselves parked in a queue listening to a holding message. But for me it was inspiring as I listened to two experienced GPs, Dr Andrew Buist and Dr David Shackles, lay out their recommendations for the future of primary care.
I’ve always believed that clinicians who live and breathe the NHS are the key to fixing it. Everyone seems to agree on the diagnosis – we need more investment in primary care.
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Life-saving
Catching and treating symptoms early helps prevent chronic illness, unplanned arrivals at A&E and countless tragic deaths. Not only is it more convenient for patients to be treated in the community rather than hauling themselves to a hospital, it is more cost-effective too.
And countless studies show continuity of care improves patient outcomes. As Dr Shackles put it: “If continuity of care was a drug, patients and politicians would be demanding that it was free and consistently available on the NHS.” But it’s not just about diagnosis but treatment.
The SNP government pays lip service to the principle of strengthening GP services, but in practice the share of the NHS Budget going to primary care has slumped from 11 to 7 per cent.
A much-touted plan to recruit 800 more GPs by 2027 will not be met, according to Audit Scotland. And the recent announcement of a GP walk-in centre caused widespread frustration among GPs themselves, many of whom see this as a pre-election gimmick.
For the patient stuck on the phone at 8am, it’s understandable that the idea goes down well. But the reality is that just one so far has opened, in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh. For everyone else, access to GP services will remain exactly the same.
Appointments have been increasing
The point made by Drs Buist and Shackles is we already have a model that works, if it is funded properly. The reason that you can’t get an appointment at your GP is not because they don’t want to give you one.
In fact, appointments are increasing – there were 2.4 million more encounters between GP staff and patients in 2024-25 compared to the previous year.
But as Drs Buist and Shackles pointed out, what really matters is the ratio of GPs to patients, and between 2013 and 2025, each whole-time equivalent GP acquired an extra 165 patients. Meanwhile, while the overall number of GPs might have risen, the number of whole-time equivalent GPs has fallen.
Scottish Labour has pledged that one of our first acts as a government will be to renegotiate the GP contract.
We will invest in primary care so that we have more GPs and better access for patients. We will also make sure we reinstate the family doctor so that people have continuity of care from a GP who knows them and their family.
It’s only by getting that ratio of GPs to patients down, that people can get the treatment they need.
Jackie Baillie MSP is Scottish Labour’s health spokesperson
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