Responding to claims that tackling the country’s housing crisis could have “disastrous implications for the healthcare service”, Homes for Scotland Chief Executive Nicola Barclay highlighted that it was Scotland’s growing population that was pressurising the capacity of GP surgeries and not the construction of much needed new homes.  She said:

“Today’s comments by the Royal College of General Practitioners highlight the need for a joined-up approach to ensuring that Scotland has enough of the homes and necessary facilities required to properly support its growing population.  

“With so many different services impacted by our requirement to accommodate more people, politicians at all levels need to plan strategically to make sure the necessary infrastructure, funding and training is in place to meet our growing population’s needs.  

“It is also worth recognising that, rather than adversely affecting the health of our nation, the building of new high-quality warm homes supports improved outcomes as a number of studies have found.  These show that the greatest risks to health in poor housing are related to cold and damp.

“With builders already paying to mitigate the impact of new developments through planning agreements, it is up to government to ensure it allocates sufficient resources to provide the services that are required by our expanding population, wherever they choose to live.”