Scottish Liberal Democrats will prioritise access to GPs

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today used a campaign stop in Edinburgh to set his party’s plan to give people faster access to GPs and give every practice the equivalent of an extra member of clinical staff.

The party would embed more patient-facing staff including nurses, physios, pharmacists and mental health professionals in local surgeries to get people seen quicker, reduce GP workloads and avoid costly hospital admissions.

The government-run Scottish Household Survey shows that satisfaction with the quality of local health services has fallen from 83% in 2015 to 61% in 2024 - the worst since the SNP came to power.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“When I’m out speaking to people across the country, they tell me about the 8am rush for appointments and how they are struggling to see their GP. After 19 years of the SNP, Scotland deserves better.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats will give you faster access to GPs and a wider range of skilled staff locally, boosting early diagnosis, bringing down waits and enabling people to work. It will be the equivalent of giving every GP practice the benefit of an additional member of clinical staff, from nurses to mental health professionals.

“If you want first-rate healthcare so you can see your GP when you need them then, wherever you are, you can have an MSP who will get stuff done by backing the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second peach regional ballot.”