Media release: New report highlights progress in GP practices – but more action is needed to deliver reform
Targeted investment is helping GP practices deliver better care for patients according to a report published today (Wednesday 24 June) – but warns that further action is needed to roll out improvements further.
The report has been published as part of the Primary Care Phased Investment Programme, led by Healthcare Improvement Scotland and commissioned by the Scottish Government. It has underlined that targeted investment and quality improvement support is strengthening primary care services in GP practices.
The report makes more evidence available than ever before, helping to understand progress in establishing multidisciplinary team working within GP practices.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland worked with four areas to test whether additional funding and structured quality improvement support could improve multidisciplinary team services. The sites included NHS Ayrshire & Arran, NHS Borders, Edinburgh City Health and Social Care Partnership, and NHS Shetland.
Across the four areas the programme found that investment, quality improvement support and strong leadership led to:
- improved access to services
- better use of existing multidisciplinary teams,
- more appropriate redistribution of workload from GPs to multidisciplinary staff, ensuring patients are seen by the most appropriate person.
However, despite progress, the report concluded that additional investment alone is not enough to fully implement multidisciplinary team working. Persistent challenges included workforce shortages and sustainability, recruitment difficulties, limited digital and physical infrastructure, and lack of clarity about what full implementation looks like.
Belinda Robertson, Associate Director of Improvement Support at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said:
“The report’s findings are incredibly useful in informing future policy development.
“The report calls for realistic expectations, long-term investment, strong leadership, and improvement expertise. This insight is of invaluable importance in helping to plan and deliver the reform of GP services for the future.”
Associate Director of Improvement Support, Healthcare Improvement Scotland
The report recommends a more flexible, needs-based approach. It highlights that the needs of each local area are critical and must reflect population needs, geography and workforce availability.
The report also concluded that better joined-up IT systems and clearer data are needed to support ongoing improvement.
The full report is available to view at: https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/publications/primary-care-phased-investment-programme-reports-june-2026/
Ends
Notes to editor
Primary Care Phased Investment Programme was led by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
The 2018 Scottish General Medical Services (GMS) Contract
The 2018 GMS Contract is a joint agreement between the Scottish Government and the Scottish General Practitioners Committee (SGPC) of the British Medical Association.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s statutory role is to help improve the quality of health and care, provide information to the public about the quality of health and care services, monitor public involvement, and to evaluate and provide advice on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of medicines and health technologies.