Fiona Hyslop MSP for the Linlithgow Constituency has welcomed the record health and social care investment announced in last week’s (Tues 13th January) Draft Budget. Scottish Finance Secretary, Shona Robison, announced that almost £22.5 billion would be allocated to health and social care to support a more sustainable and resilient NHS with a continued focus on tackling and reducing long waiting times.
Fiona commented,
“This record health and social care spend will be welcomed by many in my Constituency and will transform access to GP services.
“I am pleased to also see that £36 million will be allocated to begin the roll out of High street walk in clinics, providing additional same-day access for individuals and communities.
“West Lothian has both a growing and ageing population, and I am very aware of the pressures around access to GP services across the county. Investment in these vital services will be a lifeline to many in my Constituency.
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Further information:
NHS Boards will see an increase in their baseline funding, bringing total investment of over £17.6 billion, an average real terms uplift of 1.8%. This will enable the creation of additional capacity and continued expansion of the number of Hospital at Home beds to at least 2,000 by the end of the calendar year.
In addition, the draft 2026-27 budget includes:
- £2.4 billion for primary care, including £36 million for new walk-in GP services and a £531 million three-year funding deal for General Practice to recruit more GPs and improve access
- an additional £40 million investment in sport and physical activity to support opportunities for people to be more active
- £2.3 billion investment in social care, exceeding the Scottish Government’s commitment to increase spending by 25% by the end of the Parliament.
Background
Latest statistics show patients in Scotland had 34.28 million direct encounters with staff in General Practice between November 2024 and October 2025 – an increase of 2.3 million on the same 12-month period in 2023-24. The GP investment deal, alongside plans for walk-ins, will build on this and further add to the GP workforce, which stands at 5,423 GPs, an additional 171 GPs compared to 2024.