A north-east MSP is demanding answers from ministers about GP shortages following the closure of one surgery and another announcing it is cutting appointments due to a lack of staff.
North-east MSP Richard Baker said he will this week question Scottish Government ministers on the lack of local doctors following the revelation that the Great Western Practice in Aberdeen has urged its patients to contact the surgery only if absolutely necessary because of staff retiring and holidays.
In recent weeks it has also been announced that Brimmond Medical Practice is to close due to staff shortages.
Last night, Mr Baker said he will raise the issue during Thursday’s General Question Time in the Scottish Parliament and ask what action will be taken to ensure recruitment difficulties can be rectified.
“NHS Grampian and the Scottish Government assured us they were going to address this at the beginning of this year. So far we have seen Brimmond close, warnings over the number of GPs retiring and now, we have got a practice saying that they are going to cut the number of appointments,” he said.
“This shows that the Scottish Government simply isn’t doing enough to ensure that NHS Grampian has enough doctors. They need to address this issue because patients are suffering as a result.
“I will be raising this with Ministers and I hope that they have a positive position to set out including measures to support a comprehensive strategy for GP recruitment at NHS Grampian.”
A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said the board was striving to ensure everyone has access to a GP.
“We are all aware of the challenges ahead, however this is not just a local challenge. There is a lot of work being done around these issues at a national level, at health board level and also within the practices themselves,” she said.
“We continue to work with practices and communities on developing new or innovative ways of delivering primary care.”