GP practices in Perthshire will receive a funding boost this year, the Scottish Government has unveiled.

The Scottish Government has announced that an additional £20 million support will be given to GP practices across Scotland to help with the costs of running their practices. 

The ‘GP Premises Sustainability Loan Scheme’ aims to ease the financial burden associated with owning a General Practice – in turn helping to improve recruitment and retention. It means that GPs who own their own premises can apply for long-term interest-free loans worth up to 20% of their practice’s value.

A total of 172 practices across Scotland have successfully applied for loans – around 50% of the total eligible. 

The new GP contract in Scotland is backed by £110 million in 2018/19 to ensure that GPs are able to spend more time with patients, and less time on paperwork. The Scottish Government is investing a further £7.5 million to improve GP recruitment and retention in 2018/19. 

Perthshire North MSP, Mr John Swinney commented: 

“People in Perthshire will welcome this significant investment in our local NHS service, which will help family doctors deal with the costs of running their practice. 

“The extra investment will make becoming a GP an attractive career choice and encourage more people to join the profession - which will in turn make it easier for practices in Scotland to retain and recruit staff.

“This news is extremely encouraging, especially for those practices in rural areas who may struggle to recruit new members of staff. I encourage eligible GPs in Perthshire to consider whether they would benefit from this scheme. 

“The NHS is one of our most treasured institutions, and the SNP in government is absolutely committed to ensuring it stays fit for the future.”

NOTES

The GP Premises Loan Scheme opened in November 2018 and is backed with £30 million of Scottish Government funding. Today’s announcement takes the total investment to £50 million before April 2021. 

Under the initiative, funding is available up to 20% of the practice’s value. The loan is repayable when the premises are no longer used for providing primary care medical services under an NHS contract, or when they are sold.