Majority of Scots believe GPs most trustworthy to meet Healthcare needs

Nearly 80% of Scots believe GPs are the community professionals they trust the most to meet their healthcare needs, according to a poll.

The Royal College of General Practitioners in Scotland, which commissioned the YouGov study, said the figures demonstrate overwhelming support for the work of family doctors.

The results were released as the RCPG's annual conference takes place in Liverpool.

The survey asked people a range of questions on their opinion of general practice and their views on the current state of the service in Scotland.

It found four-fifths of people think it is the GP that can be trusted most, compared to other professionals in the wider general practice team, to help meet their healthcare needs.

In addition, 63% of patients told researchers they want to see a GP first when making an appointment, rather than being asked to see other members of the primary care team.

A similar figure, 64%, of the public placed importance on seeing the same GP each time if possible.

The RCGP said the findings give strong support for their call for GPs “to remain firmly at the centre of patient care”.

The body said almost nine in 10 Scots, 88%, support their campaign for more funding for the GP service.

Dr Miles Mack, chair of RCGP Scotland, said: “GPs are uniquely placed to deliver care others cannot offer, and their rigorous training in delivering this effectively means that they are best placed within the healthcare system as the first port of call for their patients' needs.

“GPs hugely value the work of our multi-disciplinary team members, but no other professional within our teams can or should be used as a replacement for general practitioners.

“This survey sends a clear message that patients want their GP to remain central to their care as the NHS develops.”

He went on: “We have also been clear that, in order to protect and improve the service provided to our patients, spending on general practice services must be increased to 11% of NHS Scotland's budget.

“GPs up and down the country are facing huge challenges with increased workload, severely reduced funding and a squeezed workforce.

“I am sure that this huge show of support, both for the importance of our role in patients' lives and for our campaigning activity, will provide comfort and support to colleagues.”

The organisation represents around 5,000 family doctors in Scotland.

YouGov questioned 1,022 Scottish adults online from April 11-13 this year.

Scottish Labour's health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: “Our GPs do fantastic work day in, day out and it is no surprise to see that patients across Scotland overwhelmingly value their work.

“It is a credit to our GPs that they continue to do such vital work despite having their budget persistently raided by SNP ministers.”

Health Secretary Shona Robison added: “By the end of this Parliament we will have invested £250 million a year in direct support of general practice as part of the Scottish Government's commitment to increase primary care funding by £500 million.

“Through this increased investment, over £71 million this year is going to initiatives to support GPs, like the development of multidisciplinary teams to free GPs' time to help them focus on those most in need of their skills.

“We have increased funding for GP recruitment and retention fivefold to £5 million this year, with work on a range of measures to support practice sustainability.

“We are also working with the British Medical Association to deliver a new GP contract which will provide a strengthened and clarified role for Scotland's GPs.”

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: “This shows just how dependent people are on their local GP, and in how high regard they hold them.

“It's quite an achievement that doctors have managed to maintain this level of trust despite the disastrous stewardship of general practice by the SNP.