To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to take any action in relation to reported concerns regarding how the 2018 GP contract is working in the Highlands and Islands. (S6O-03684)

Under the 2018 GP contract, health boards and integration authorities are responsible for establishing and maintaining multidisciplinary teams, working closely with their local GP representatives and communities. In doing that, it is fundamental that those services meet the needs of local patients—none more so than in our rural and island communities. Although we have made good progress on implementation nationally, we know that implementation gaps and challenges remain. We continue to work with all partners that are involved in implementing the contract to further understand and tackle on-going challenges, including in the Highlands and Islands.

It is absolutely clear that, as a result of the 2018 GP contract, there are fewer GPs and fewer independent GP surgeries in the Highlands, and patients are having to travel hundreds of miles for immunisations. Getting primary care right is critical to avoiding expensive secondary care. Given that the contract is failing in the Highlands, will the Scottish Government undertake to review, and ultimately replace, the contract, as it is not working?

I agree with Edward Mountain that having strong and sustainable primary care services is critically important to avoiding people’s ill health escalating and their moving into more expensive and problematic secondary care services. That is why we are investing in the likes of the Scottish graduate entry medicine programme, so that more rural GPs come through the system, and why we are investing, through the contract, in multidisciplinary teams to ensure that we have a more sustainable general practice position, including in areas in the Highlands and Islands.

I saw some of that in action over the summer, when I visited the likes of the Western Isles and Islay, where I saw for myself the impact that the multidisciplinary teams are having. I would be happy to discuss that further with Edward Mountain.

That concludes general question time.