GPC Scotland chairman Dr Dean Marshall said there was a ‘fundamental misunderstanding’ among politicians that health inequalities could be tackled through the GP contract. But he said the problem could not be addressed by simply ‘moving money around’.
‘The solution is not just as a simple as a redistribution of money from one practice to another. It’s more complicated than that,’ he said.
‘GPs in deprived areas need more than just more income. There needs to be more GPs working in these areas and they need longer consultations.’
Dr Marshall said health professionals such as drug and alcohol staff and social workers should work closely with GPs.
‘There needs to be many more staff attached to GP practices. We need to re-develop the primary health care team, which has been broken up.’
