Six-month pause on GP surgery charges

Local MSP Craig Hoy helped to secure the six-month hiatus follows several meetings with GPs in East Lothian and Midlothian and an urgent intervention by Mr Hoy at Holyrood following engagement with the health authority and the Scottish Government.

GPs were faced with the prospect of losing staff and withdrawing services after NHS Lothian announced increases in facilities management charges, which include cleaning, utilities and essential services relating to the building’s physical structure.

More than half of all practices in the Lothians operate with a service level agreement, in which the premises are maintained and looked after by the health board. It was previously agreed that a planned increase in payments would be phased in over three years, with a hike due to come into place from this April and again the following year, creating an additional cost of tens of thousands of pounds for some practices.

​Mr Hoy pledged to continue to try to find a long-term solution.

After pressing ministers and NHS executives to rethink the charges, Mr Hoy has welcomed confirmation from health secretary Neil Gray, that the charges will be put on hold to allow time for negotiation.

Mr Hoy said: “This will be a massive relief for GP surgeries and patients across Midlothian and East Lothian. I called on the Scottish Government and NHS Lothian to halt these damaging charges, and I am pleased they have now agreed to look again at the plans.

“Some practices faced huge increases and could have been hit with the prospect of losing GPs which would have risked patient care. I am conscious, however, that this is only a pause, and I will continue to press for a long-term solution which ensures practices are properly funded and protected from financial uncertainty. Access to quality primary healthcare is essential and I am working hard to make sure people can see a GP quickly, which is all too often a problem presently.”

Mr Gray said the pause will allow time for the Scottish Government to accelerate a national workstream aimed at negotiating direct reimbursements for some GP non-pay costs as part of the ongoing development of the GMS contract.