First Minister John Swinney visited a GP practice in Easterhouse to hear about Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP)’s project to improve family wellbeing, by making it easier to access support services.

Mr Swinney joined Dr Lesley Thomson KC, Chair NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Board and Suzanne Niven, our HSCP’s Health Improvement Manager to meet GP Practice staff at Oakwood Medical Practice on 9 June.

Oakwood is one of 12 practices in deprived areas across Glasgow taking part in the Whole Family Support in General Practice project, which takes a preventative approach to family wellbeing.

It uses GP appointments to identify wider support needed to help families in poverty and at risk of poor health outcomes.

Mr Swinney hailed the “collaborative, preventative work” which has received a combined £3.5 million from the Scottish Government since 2024.

Suzanne said: “The Whole Family Support in General Practice project takes a preventative approach to family wellbeing by using doctor appointments to help identify the wider support needed to help those in poverty and at risk of poor health outcomes.

“Each of the practices has a Family Wellbeing worker who can provide advice on the right kinds of support and the partner service best placed to help.The project also supports outreach work with families who might benefit from further engagement with primary care services to address complex health needs.”

The project is led by our HSCP, supported by more than £1.5 million in Scottish Government funding for 2025 to 2026.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Swinney said: “Scotland’s GP practices are right at the heart of our communities where they help local people and their families on a daily basis. We recognise them as trusted and established services providing crucial medical advice and care.

“It’s precisely this trust that means GP surgeries can be places where people start to get a wider variety of help that will allow them to overcome the challenges of everyday life, tackle poverty and address further risks to their health and wellbeing.

“Eradicating child poverty and improving public services are two of my main priorities as First Minister. Along with economic growth and tackling the climate emergency, they’re the key areas where I want to see delivery of real improvements. I’ve spoken often about how these priorities don’t exist in isolation – there will be lots of different connections between them.

“The Whole Family Support in General Practice project is exactly the sort of work I had in mind – collaborative, preventative work that will deliver clear benefits for people in Scotland.”