Health Secretary Humza Yousaf says he will not intervene over concerns raised around GP access at Old Aberdeen Medical Practice.
Patients at the surgery – which was taken over by a private firm in March – say they are struggling to access a GP.
Others have reported a decline in patient care and issues with the E-consult services.
North-east Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba called for Mr Yousaf to intervene on behalf of constituents, sending him anonymous accounts of their experiences.
Nine GPs based at the Old Aberdeen Medical Practice quit in December 2020 after expressing concerns for patient care in response to the planned management shake up.
In a letter to Ms Villalba, the health secretary said the “default position” of the Scottish Government is “not to intervene in local decision making processes”.
He added: “I appreciate the strength of feeling conveyed in your constituents’ anonymised testimony but after a careful review I think the appropriate process would be for continued engagement with the local Integration Authority, as opposed to national intervention.”
The health secretary said the accounts of patients struggling to get access to their GP are “unfortunately representative of problems created by the pandemic as practices try their best to deliver services while still being obliged to screen patients and cope with very high demand”.
He continued: “I would expect access to services in Aberdeen to improve with the rest of Scotland as the worst effects of the pandemic recede.”
The senior SNP politician confirmed he does “not think it is necessary to carry out any further reviews”.
‘Hugely disappointed’
In an update to constituents, Ms Villalba said she was “hugely disappointed” by Mr Yousaf’s position.
She has written to him again to ask that he requests that NHS Grampian put in place a system of monitoring as a “matter of priority”.
In 2020, city health chiefs developed plans to transfer the GP surgeries they managed to become privately run in a bid to make them more sustainable.
Newburn Healthcare, which already runs Denburn and Northfield GP medical practices, was appointed to run services at Old Aberdeen.
Patients of the affected GP practices were assured they will continue to function as normal.
An Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership spokesperson said: “There are robust mechanisms and complaints processes in place for monitoring and reporting any concerns raised.
“NHS Grampian and ACHSCP continue to work with practices where concerns are raised.”
The Old Aberdeen Medical Centre was approached for comment.