Third-year BSc student presents work at Scottish Government meeting
Third-year BSc (Hons) Medicine student Shirley Xiao presented her dissertation on implementation of the 2018 general practice contract at a Scottish Government meeting on 27 May! The General Practice In-Hours Activity Monthly Meeting is attended by members of Public Health Scotland (PHS) and NHS National Services Scotland, as well as the Scottish Government. Shirley was accompanied by her supervisor, Academic Fellow in General Practice Dr Keith Moffat.
Shirley’s dissertation evaluated the success of the 2018 general practice contract, which aimed to alleviate the workload on general practitioners (GPs) by expanding the multidisciplinary team (MDT). Shirley analysed PHS data on changes in activity across various healthcare professional roles from 2018-2024. While she did identify expansion and increased activity of the MDT, contextualisation revealed that this progress has been insufficient in reducing GP workload pressures. Overall, Shirley’s dissertation provided further quantitative support for the growing evidence suggesting the contract has not fully achieved its aims.
Meeting attendees found Shirley’s presentation of significant value and have asked her to share her dissertation and slides with the Scottish Government. She has also been asked to present at another national PHS meeting on capacity in the NHS and a British Computer Society conference. The School congratulates Shirley on this fantastic achievement, and wishes her the very best as she embarks on her clinical training after graduation in July!