Access to Primary Care 2024-10-15
2024-10-15
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Lord Darzi's review identified issues with primary care, noting a decline in satisfaction from 80% to 35%. The question addresses the adequacy of patient access.
What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of patient access to primary care services. Lord Darzi's report on the NHS states that people are struggling to see their GPs, and early intervention is crucial for cost-effective health management. Interventions to protect health tend to be far less costly than dealing with consequences.
As identified in Lord Darzi's review, primary care is broken. Satisfaction with GP services has fallen from a peak of 80% in 2009 to just 35% last year—a truly damning indictment of 14 years of Tory failure. We will rebuild general practice. We have invested £82 million to recruit 1,000 new GPs, we have launched our red tape challenge, and we are committed to improving continuity of care and ending the 8 am scramble.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Specific steps for quick access were not detailed beyond commitments.
Committed To
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Arborfield Green community has around 10,000 residents with no local primary care provision, and travel to neighbouring villages is difficult due to lack of public transport.
What steps will the Minister take to guarantee that there will be enough GPs in any major new developments that come down the line?
The hon. Member is absolutely right: there are seriously under-doctored areas of the country. Given the finite resources that we have, we must focus on areas with the greatest need. I would be more than happy to meet him to discuss how that might best be reflected in his constituency.
▸
Assessment & feedback
No specific steps were outlined for future developments.
Would Be More Than Happy
Response accuracy
Q3
Direct Answer
▸
Context
Constituents have been removed from the list of their general practice after making complaints.
Will the Minister raise the matter with the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, so that we can get some resolution for my constituents?
Patients have an absolute right to complain about NHS services, and they should not be removed from a practice's list because of a complaint they have made. Health is of course devolved, but I have asked officials in the Department to engage with their Scottish Government counterparts on that matter to ensure that patients in my hon. Friend's constituency are treated with the respect and compassion that they deserve.
▸
Assessment & feedback
null
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Residents of Mickleover queue from 7 am for GP appointments, and seven in ten people find it very difficult to book.
Does the Minister agree that GP capacity must be a priority?
We are absolutely committed to the challenge of cutting red tape and reducing the administrative burden for staff to help patients get the care that they need. An important element of our plan will be streamlining access to registration in order to move it online, and we are working at pace to make online registration available in all practices.
▸
Assessment & feedback
No direct commitment on priority status was made.
Committed To
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Lord Darzi's report highlights struggles in seeing GPs, and prevention is crucial for cost-effective health management.
What steps are being taken to ensure that patients in my Wolverhampton West constituency have quick, easy and direct access to GP surgeries?
I note that Wolverhampton West has seen a decrease of 28 full-time equivalent GPs since 2018, which of course massively exacerbates the issues to which my hon. Friend refers. We will introduce a modern booking system to end the 8 am scramble and make it easier for patients to contact their GP.
▸
Assessment & feedback
No specific steps were provided beyond commitments.
Committed To
Response accuracy
Q6
Partial Answer
▸
Context
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB announced plans to scrap the super-surgery in north Essex, causing significant distress among residents.
Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss how we can expedite plans to expand primary care in north Ipswich and the surrounding villages?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for setting out a list of all the failures of the past 14 years. He is dealing with that mess thanks to Members on the Benches he sits on. I strongly encourage his constituents to get actively involved in the 10-year plan that we will launch.
▸
Assessment & feedback
No meeting was confirmed.
Encourage
Response accuracy
Q7
Partial Answer
▸
Context
Representatives of Martins Oak and Oldwood surgeries have ambitious plans to move to bigger premises but face challenges like lease length discrepancies.
Will he meet me to see whether we can help bring those ambitious plans for new surgeries to fruition?
The hon. Gentleman has considerable expertise in this area, given his background. I would be happy to discuss that issue with him, but I remind him that although there may well be specific issues, there is a generic problem: the total and utter failure to ensure investment, reform and strategic thinking about our system.
▸
Assessment & feedback
No meeting was confirmed.
Would Be Happy
Response accuracy