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Politics: Recruitment drive will help to relieve pressure on our NHS services


By David Porter

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The Scottish Government has launched a campaign to encourage more doctors to come and work and train as GPs in Scotland.

Recruiting GPs to the north-east has been a consistent issue.
Recruiting GPs to the north-east has been a consistent issue.

We all know how difficult the last two years have been for many professions – in particular NHS staff who have gone above and beyond on the frontline to protect and save lives.

GPs and hospitals are also facing increasing workloads with a backlog of patients as a result of the pandemic.

Which is why this recruitment campaign is so important in order to help support the work of staff to see and treat patients and to help relieve the pressures on the NHS.

The Scottish Government initiative is part of a commitment to increase the number of GPs by 2027.

It aims to attract GPs to Scotland from other areas of the UK and elsewhere, building on a range of measures which also include increasing undergraduate placements, looking at training placements to boost future capacity and incentivising moves to rural practice.

It will also look at providing a range of development and support opportunities for GPs throughout their careers.

As an MSP for a rural constituency I understand how challenging it can be to recruit GPs to come and live and work in the community compared to more urban settings.

The north-east is a brilliant place to live and work and if we can show trainees and more seasoned GPs what the region – and Scotland as a whole – has to offer we can vastly improve the number of recruits coming to live and work here.

New figures have revealed more than £1.8million has been awarded through the Young Carer Grant with more successful applicants than last year. This means from its introduction in October 2019 until April 30 this year, more than £1.8million has been paid out to 4,265 young people.

The Young Carer Grant, which is unique to Scotland, was increased from £308.15 to £326.65 from April 1.

The payment is available for 16-18 year-olds who spend an average of 16 hours caring for a person or people in receipt of a disability benefit.

As long as someone remains eligible, they can apply on an annual basis.

Young carers play an incredible role in helping their loved ones and this grant is aimed at recognising some of the contribution they make across society.

It is right that we support those aged between 16 and 18 years old whose opportunity to leave school and work may be impacted by their caring responsibilities.

The Young Carer Grant is only available in Scotland, and the Scottish Government will continue to pro-actively increase awareness and encourage take up of this benefit.

If anyone thinks they, or someone they know, might be eligible, I’d encourage them to find out more and apply.

Finally, I am delighted to have been nominated for my work on oil and gas and the recent survey my team and I carried out on a Just Transition in the Holyrood Magazine Political Awards in the Backbencher of the Year category.

Good luck to all the fellow nominees!


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