What is the SNP doing for remote & rural healthcare?
Rural and island communities have their own unique challenges when it comes to providing high quality healthcare.
It is therefore essential that we do everything we can to make sure that these challenges are properly considered and addressed.
The SNP has made a number of policy commitments to meet the health and social care needs of people living in remote and rural areas.
Improving recruitment and retention of GPs and other doctors is vital to Scotland’s health in all localities, particularly rural areas.
As the Scottish Government we have taken forward a range of initiatives to support recruitment and retention of workforce in rural General Practice.
These include a Golden Hello scheme to attract new rural GPs, and SCOTGEM, a scheme that provides a graduate-entry medical degree with a rural focus.
To support sustainability of acute health services within rural and island communities, a Task and Finish Group has been convened at the request of the Scottish Government.
The Group is considering ways to improve delivery of safe, quality services for this population and ensure equity of outcomes.
Representatives from rural and island territorial Health Boards, National Boards and the Scottish Government sit on this group.
The group will determine a framework for the delivery of sustainable care for our rural and island communities from which specific local plans can be developed.
This will support sustainability by planning on a population basis and provide an effective decision-making arrangement for NHS Scotland within these communities, whilst allowing service design and delivery to be adapted to place-specific needs and circumstances.
The SNP are supporting the implementation of multidisciplinary teams in rural and island communities, through additional funding of £123,000 in 2024/25.
This funding is building on the recommendations of the Shaping the Future Together report and recognising the challenges of providing project management and quality improvement support in smaller rural areas.
As the Scottish Government the SNP has committed to a review of the NRAC funding formula and work is underway.
This supports vital work to reduce health inequalities; ensuring that the Scottish Government continue to allocate funding according to the relative need for healthcare in each Board area.
The New National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care will help to reduce health inequalities and improve the delivery of healthcare services in rural communities.
The centre launched in October 2024 and is now developing a programme of work designed to improve the capability of rural, remote and island primary care and community services, and support the improvement and retention of a more highly skilled rural health workforce.
The Centre will be delivered by NHS Education Scotland and is backed by £3 million until 2026.
The Centre will be both virtual and local to ensure its availability to all communities and will provide a resource to support Health Boards and Health and Social Care partnerships in their responsibilities and drive essential improvements in sustainability.