Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Access to Primary Care

Tuesday 15 October 2024 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Lord Darzi's report indicates that satisfaction with GP services has dropped significantly since 2009.
  • The government has invested 82 million to recruit 1,000 new GPs.
  • The Minister plans to introduce a modern booking system to improve patient access to GPs.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Warinder Juss Lab Wolverhampton West
NHS
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.

Question

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.

Answer from Stephen Kinnock

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.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps for quick access were not detailed beyond commitments.

How: Committed To

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Q2 Clive Jones Lib Dem Wokingham
NHS
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.

Question

What steps will the Minister take to guarantee that there will be enough GPs in any major new developments that come down the line?

Answer from Stephen Kinnock

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.

Not addressed: No specific steps were outlined for future developments.

How: Would Be More Than Happy

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Q3 Katrina Murray Lab Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch
NHS
Context

Constituents have been removed from the list of their general practice after making complaints.

Question

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?

Answer from Stephen Kinnock

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.

Answered

Not addressed: null

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Q4 Catherine Atkinson Lab Derby North
NHS
Context

Residents of Mickleover queue from 7 am for GP appointments, and seven in ten people find it very difficult to book.

Question

Does the Minister agree that GP capacity must be a priority?

Answer from Stephen Kinnock

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.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No direct commitment on priority status was made.

How: Committed To

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Q5 Warinder Juss Lab Wolverhampton West
NHS
Context

Lord Darzi's report highlights struggles in seeing GPs, and prevention is crucial for cost-effective health management.

Question

What steps are being taken to ensure that patients in my Wolverhampton West constituency have quick, easy and direct access to GP surgeries?

Answer from Stephen Kinnock

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.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific steps were provided beyond commitments.

How: Committed To

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Q6 Patrick Spencer Con Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
NHS
Context

NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB announced plans to scrap the super-surgery in north Essex, causing significant distress among residents.

Question

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?

Answer from Stephen Kinnock

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.

Not addressed: No meeting was confirmed.

How: Encourage

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Q7 Kieran Mullan Con Bexhill and Battle
NHS
Context

Representatives of Martins Oak and Oldwood surgeries have ambitious plans to move to bigger premises but face challenges like lease length discrepancies.

Question

Will he meet me to see whether we can help bring those ambitious plans for new surgeries to fruition?

Answer from Stephen Kinnock

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.

Not addressed: No meeting was confirmed.

How: Would Be Happy

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