Access to GPs

Answer from The Secretary of State Matthew Hancock

Obviously this is an incredibly important subject, and I know the frustration many families feel at not being able to access a GP appointment when they need it. We have a whole-scale programme of work to improve access. This includes recruiting 6000 more GPs and 26000 primary care staff other than GPs—increasingly patients at GP surgeries can be treated by nurses—and increasingly enabling people, especially those who find it difficult to travel, to use technology to get the treatment they need.

Answer from The Secretary of State Matthew Hancock

My hon. Friend is right to ask. It is incredibly important that we get the right number of GPs, not least to reduce the amount spent on locums, who can be very expensive and often do not know the local population as well as salaried GPs. Her local clinical commissioning group is developing a new-to-practice fellowship in Hastings for GPs starting out in practice in order to encourage more doctors into practice and then to support them. It is also working with primary care networks so that more can become GP trainers and take on students. We are expanding the numbers going into GP training—there were record numbers last year—but I want the numbers to go up again and to make sure that Hastings gets the GPs it needs.

Answer from The Secretary of State Matthew Hancock

That is an incredibly important point. We have a manifesto commitment to ensure that where there is new housing there is also new primary care. Just as a new housing estate will often require a new primary school and new transport links, so we need to put in the GPs as well.

Answer from The Secretary of State Matthew Hancock

Yes. My hon. Friend has already become an incredibly strong voice for Wolverhampton, and it was a pleasure to visit Tettenhall medical practice, which has joined with other GP practices to form a primary care network, which I hope will strengthen its resilience and enable it to provide extended access to appointments, which is what he is campaigning for. I am pleased, too, with the extra 16000 appointments in Wolverhampton in the last quarter. As this shows, we are driving up the number of appointments, but we also appreciate, understand and feel the frustration people feel when they cannot get decent access to GP appointments.

Answer from The Secretary of State Matthew Hancock

Tax is, of course, a matter for the Treasury, and the Chancellor would not be thrilled if I announced tax policy in the middle of health questions, tempting as that may be. However, we have been working with the Treasury, and also with the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the British Medical Association, employers in the NHS and others, to deliver on our manifesto commitment to sort this out.

Answer from The Secretary of State (Matthew Hancock)

We are making record investments in primary care, with record numbers of GPs in training and an increase in appointments across the country. Primary care networks have been introduced to make primary care more sustainable, and technology is being improved.

Answer from The Secretary of State (Matthew Hancock)

We need to recruit more GPs and other clinicians. Record numbers of GPs are in training, but there is also a plan to increase recruitment in the hon. Gentleman's constituency and across the country.

Answer from The Secretary of State (Matthew Hancock)

We have made a commitment to recruit 6,000 more GPs and 26,000 other clinical staff in general practice, which is the plan we will deliver upon.

Answer from The Secretary of State (Matthew Hancock)

We need to ensure that practices are sustainable and technology can help reduce travel times. There is enthusiasm for using technology to help such practices.