Doctors welcome new Health Secretary Jeane Freeman

Doctors have called on new Health Secretary Jeane Freeman to work with them to improve things for the under-pressure NHS.

Freeman was appointed to the role yesterday as part of Nicola Sturgeon’s cabinet reshuffle.

Doctor’s union the BMA and the Royal College of General Practicioners (RCGP) also paid tribute to her predecessor Shona Robison.

In her resignation letter, Robison said she was leaving for personal reasons.

“This last year has been particularly challenging for me personally, losing both my parents, having a health scare of my own, and some big changes in my personal life,” she said.

BMA Scotland chair Peter Bennie said: “The efforts Shona Robison made to engage with doctors were appreciated by the profession and in particular the new GP contract and the final delivery of Minimum Unit Pricing have been key successes during her time as Health Secretary. We wish her well for the future.”

Welcoming Freeman to the role, he said: “This is a challenging time for the NHS in Scotland and we need to see more substantive efforts to tackle the growing gap between resources and demand for services.

“We also need to see concerted efforts to tackle recruitment and retention and this must include a significant pay increase to start addressing the unacceptable pay restrictions that doctors have faced in Scotland for several years.”

RCGP Scotland’s Deputy Chair Dr Alasdair Forbes said he hoped Freeman would bring the “commitment and energy” she had shown as social security minister to “safeguard the future of general practice” in Scotland.

“We will look to work closely with the new Cabinet Secretary to develop that commitment so that the country’s shortfall in GP numbers can be turned around sooner rather than later,” he said.