The investment includes a record £17.6bn for NHS boards and resources to begin the national rollout of walk-in GP clinics, making it easier to access same-day appointments.

In addition, the 2026-27 Budget includes:

• an almost £15.7bn record settlement for local government to support the services communities rely on, including social care and education
• a cost-of-living package to help families with funding to trial a programme of activities in a range of primary schools; a Summer of Sport – free children's sporting activities, including lessons on how to swim for every primary school child in the country; and a breakfast club for every primary school by August 2027
• continued investment in Scotland's existing cost-of-living measures, including free prescriptions, free eye examinations, free school meals for thousands of children
• funding to increase Scottish Child Payment to £28.20 per week and investment to allow the introduction of a premium payment of £40 per week for eligible children under 12 months from 2027-28, bolstering efforts to drive down child poverty
• extra funding to keep more children out of poverty from funds initially set aside to mitigate the UK Government's two-child cap, including £50m of whole family support and a further £49m for measures to be announced in the Child Poverty Delivery Plan in March.

Finance secretary Shona Robison said: ‘This Budget delivers for families across the country, for a stronger NHS, and for a more prosperous future.

‘It will fund landmark policies to continue efforts to eradicate child poverty – investing in a brighter future for Scotland and the children growing up here.'

Reaction

RCGP Scotland chair, Dr Chris Provan, said: ‘This agreement will increase general practice's share of the NHS budget from approximately 6% to 7%. While this is a step in the right direction, it falls short of what is needed to shift care into the community. A decade ago, general practice received approximately 11% of the NHS budget.

‘The additional funding in this budget, along with the longer-term deal, should be viewed as a stabilisation measure. It will help practices retain and recruit more GPs, enabling them to grow capacity and be better able to care for their patients.

‘However, if the Scottish Government is serious about its ambition to deliver more care in the community, this must be backed by a significant shift in resources, including finance, workforce, and infrastructure. Returning general practice funding to at least 11% of the NHS budget, and working towards 15% over the longer term is essential to empower GPs to provide more care closer to home.'