Political opinion: Leigh Ingham MP welcomes over 1,500 extra GPs recruited to help end ‘8am scramble’ and bring back family doctor
Landmark new figures published this week show that, thanks to the Labour Government's action, over 1,500 extra GPs have been recruited since 1 October, with 28 joining practices in the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB.
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Leigh Ingham MP has today welcomed the increased GP capacity that will help increase appointments for residents across Stafford, Eccleshall, and the Villages.
Bringing back the family doctor and ending the 8am scramble for appointments were key manifesto commitments in the General Election. The news of 1,500 extra GPs recruited comes after the Labour Government removed red tape, which prevented surgeries from hiring doctors, soon after coming into office.
The recruitment boost, part of the government’s Plan for Change, will help end the scandal of patients in Stafford, Eccleshall, and the villages struggling to see a doctor. People will be more readily able to receive the timely care they deserve, helping to shift healthcare from hospitals to the community, easing pressure on local GPs and cutting waiting lists.
The Labour Government has also provided the biggest boost to GP funding in years – an extra £889 million on top of the existing budget for general practice along with new reforms to free up GPs from red tape and box-ticking targets so they can spend more time caring for patients.
Since Labour came into power, the Government has delivered over two million extra appointments, meeting its target seven months early, and the waiting list has fallen five months running, down by 193,000.
Leigh Ingham, MP for Stafford, Eccleshall, and the villages, said: “When I knock on doors in our community, residents regularly vent their frustration about the 8am scramble and the difficulty that they have in getting a GP appointment.
“I promised local people that we would improve their access to GP appointments, and I’m delighted to see that this is already taking shape, less than a year after the General Election.
“People often say politicians are all the same – but this shows we aren’t. This is the difference a Labour Government makes to people’s lives.”
Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “We inherited a ludicrous situation where patients couldn’t get a GP appointment, while GPs couldn’t get a job. By cutting red tape and investing more in our NHS, we have put an extra 1,503 GPs into general practice to deliver more appointments.
“The extra investment and reforms we have made will allow patients to book appointments more easily, to help bring back the family doctor and end the 8am scramble.
“It is only because of the necessary decisions we took to increase employer National Insurance that we are able to recruit more GPs and deliver better services for patients. The extra investment and reform this government is making, as part of its Plan for Change, will get the NHS back on its feet and make it fit for the future.”
