MSP for Central Scotland, Graham Simpson, has this week called on the Health Secretary to find an urgent solution to the GP crisis in Lanarkshire.
Mr Simpson’s call comes after it was revealed at a health board briefing today that the situation was at a critical juncture.
During a debate in the Scottish Parliament, he shared the experiences of a number of constituents who have been forced to pay for private healthcare because they couldn’t access their GP.
He referenced one constituent in particular who had to pay thousands to see a GP privately and pay for a minor procedure.
It was also revealed at the briefing that Lanarkshire has the lowest number of GPs per thousand people in the whole of Scotland.
Mr Simpson highlighted how this situation is putting additional pressure on NHS Lanarkshire’s hospitals – which has spent 315 days at Code Black since October 2021.
In September, only 56.7% of attendees at A&E’s in Lanarkshire were seen within four hours and 2,361 patients spent more than 8 hours in the waiting room.
He added that these problems pre-date the pandemic and that Health Secretary must get a grip of the situation.
MSP for Central Scotland, Graham Simpson said: “At a health board briefing on Friday it was clear there are serious issues in Lanarkshire and we are at a critical juncture.
“Lanarkshire has the lowest number of GPs per thousand people in the whole of Scotland and some practices are close to a tipping point.
“Too many people can’t even get through to their surgeries and just give up trying. That leads to worse problems down the line.
“The situation is grim and something has to change but Humza Yousaf has been posted missing while the problems mount.
“It was a depressing briefing. I have no confidence that anything is going to change soon.”
