New £500m funding pledge set to increase GP numbers

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.

- by Stuart Reid

Mr Gray said the money, which will total around £531m 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".