THE NUMBER of Scots with a positive experience of the care provided by their GP practice has dropped significantly over the last decade. 

Of the more than 130,000 patients who responded to the Scottish Government’s Health and Care Experience Survey last November, 67 per cent gave a positive rating of the care provided by their GP practice, a drop of 12% from the previous survey and 23% from the first survey in 2009-10.

The percentage of people rating their care services as either excellent or good has fallen from 83% to 62% since 2013/14.

While just 44% reported positive experiences arranging to see a mental health professional. 

Unsurprisingly given the pandemic, the survey also revealed a surge in the number of patients having consultations with their GPs by phone rather than face to face, rising from 11% to  57%.

Just 37% of respondents had a face-to-face appointment compared to 87% in 2019/20. 

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said it was important to note that the survey was “conducted during the heights of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had a huge impact on how GPs and primary care could support their patients.”

She added: “Although the majority of people who responded to the Health and Care survey reported an overall positive experience accessing primary care, we know that more can always be done to improve services.”

The spokeswoman said the government was “working to expand the services available in primary care, not least through the use of more multi-disciplinary teams to support patients being seen by the right person at the right time.”

Dr Sandesh Gulhane, the Scottish Tory health spokesman and himself a GP, said the figures were “concerning”.

He said: “This is a direct result of the SNP’s appalling NHS workforce planning, including the decision by Nicola Sturgeon, as Health Secretary, to reduce the number of funded places for homegrown medical students at Scottish universities. That has led to insufficient graduates coming through to fill GP vacancies.

“Inevitably, that has made it harder for patients to get appointments – and forced them to travel further afield to access services – so it’s little wonder satisfaction rates are declining.

“This is a problem that predates the pandemic, so Humza Yousaf can’t use that as an excuse.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader, Jackie Baillie, said: “This damning survey lays bare the toll that SNP mismanagement is having on Scotland’s NHS and social care.

“The survey is full of praise for hardworking staff, who are clearly working tirelessly to try and fix problems they did not create – but there is only so much they can do.

“GP practices are doing their best but they are at breaking point and patients are paying the price, with the pandemic pushing us to a new low after years of decline under the SNP.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the SNP had been a “disaster for local health care.” 

He said: “Staff on the frontline were sounding the alarm for years but ministers chose to put their fingers in their ears.

“For those who can get an appointment, standards of care across our NHS remain high thanks to the hard work of staff but even getting to see a GP or a mental health worker can feel like a lottery.”