SCOTTISH CONSERVATIVES have accused the SNP of a funding "con" over money pledged to GPs, claiming the amount promised has been cut in half.
The accusation comes after GPs raised concerns with the Scottish Parliament over "confusion" surrounding a £500 million Scottish Government cash promise.
Doctors believed their campaign for 11 per cent of the health budget to be spent on GPs had worked when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced extra funding at the SNP's autumn conference.
She said: "'By the end of this parliament, we will increase spending on primary care services to 11 per cent of the frontline NHS budget.
"That's what doctors have said is needed. And it is what we will deliver. And let me be clear what that means. By 2021, an extra half billion pounds will be invested in our GP practices and health centres."
However, the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Scotland highlighted in a submission to the Scottish Parliament Health Committee that a letter sent to surgeries mentioned "an extra £250m per year by 2021" in "direct support of general practice".
Health Secretary Shona Robison later said in response to a parliamentary question that the £250m per year would increase the "overall investment in primary care" by £500m while the party's Westminster health spokeswoman said in an interview GPs would get 11 per cent of health spending.
Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: "This has turned into a funding con by the SNP.
"Nicola Sturgeon happily stood with GPs and backed their campaign for an extra £500m to be directly invested in general practice.
"Now, this has been cut in half and the SNP is offering some waffle about the money being spent more generally.
"It's no wonder doctors are furious about this deception."
He has written to Robison urging her to clarify the funding position.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "As the First Minister announced last year, a further £500m will be invested in primary care by the end of this parliament. This spending increase in primary care, to 11 per cent of the frontline NHS budget, will support the development of a multi-disciplinary approach, with increased staffing as well as investment in GP services and health centre
"Health Secretary Shona Robison recently set out that £250 million of this new investment will be in direct support of general practice, helping to transform the way services are delivered in the community – an approach that was agreed with the British Medical Association."
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