New funding for GPs will significantly boost doctor numbers from 2026 – Gray

The Scottish Government has pledged more than £500 million for GPs, with Health Secretary Neil Gray saying the cash will help “significantly boost” the number of family doctors from next year.

Mr Gray said the money, which will total around £531 million over the next three years, was the “largest investment in core GP services to date in Scotland”.

He stressed the money was “not a pay deal” but was instead about “stabilising practices and getting more staff into general practice”.

Dr Iain Morrison, of the British Medical Association, said the funding was a “significant step in the right direction”.

However, the funding is dependent on MSPs at Holyrood agreeing future budgets.

But ministers hope it will boost staff numbers and capacity, and make it easier for people to see a  GP.

The Government is pledging that the additional funding will increase, so that in three years’ time GP services receive a recurring payment of about £249 million.

An initial investment of £98.14 million is planned for 2026-27, with this rising to £183.54 million the following year, increasing again to £249.36 million in 2028-29

The Scottish Government made clear this money was on top of the existing annual spending on GP services of more than £1.3 billion.

Announcing the funding during a visit to a surgery in Edinburgh on Tuesday, Mr Gray said ministers had been “listening carefully to the views of Scotland’s GPs”.

He added: “I am pleased the BMA has accepted the Scottish Government’s offer to increase funding by £249 million, which takes total investment in general practice to more than half a billion pounds over the next three years.

“This is the largest investment in core GP services to date in Scotland and will significantly boost recruitment from next year, helping to deliver the capacity needed to improve services for patients.”

Mr Gray added that the cash would also help “shift the focus of care” from acute settings such as hospitals to the community.

The Health Secretary said: “We remain focused on reducing waiting times and new figures show we are making progress – waits of more than a year have reduced for the fourth month in a row and the total waiting list size has also reduced.

“This is not a pay deal — it’s about stabilising practices and getting more staff into general practice.

“GPs and practice staff received a £46 million uplift for pay and expenses earlier this year, and practices are receiving an additional £15 million in 2025-26 to support immediate recruitment needs.”

Dr Morrison, the chairman of BMA Scotland’s GP Committee, said they had made clear “direct investment” to recruit and retain GPs has been needed to “put general practice in Scotland on a sustainable footing for the future and to improve access for patients”.

He said: “Today’s announcement, secured after a robust but constructive set of negotiations, is welcome recognition of that fact and reflects the level of funding needed to stabilise and rebuild general practice across Scotland in both urban and rural areas.

“It is a significant step in the right direction, and importantly is a vote of confidence in the long-term future of the independent contractor model of general practice that has served local communities across Scotland so well.

“This investment should finally enable the profession to feel optimistic about the future and provides the opportunity to make working in general practice in Scotland the rewarding, safe and sustainable career it should be once again.”