Gareth Davies MP has welcomed the news that local frontline healthcare services in our area will benefit from a new plan to improve access to care, better support patients to manage their own health, and modernise general practice for the future. Overall, this plan will free-up around 15 million GP appointments over the next two years for patients who need them most through four key areas.
Firstly, this plan tackles the 8am rush for appointments, by investing the equivalent of £35,000 per practice to provide new technology for GPs, making it easier to get through and get a response on the same day. During trials, this has increased patients’ ability to get through to their practice by almost a third.
Secondly, for the first time ever, patients who need prescription medication will be able to get it directly from a pharmacy - without a GP appointment - for seven common conditions thanks to government investment of £645 million to expand community pharmacy services. Almost half a million women also will no longer need to speak to a practice nurse or GP to access oral contraception and will instead be able to pop into their local pharmacy.
In addition, by cutting bureaucracy, this plan will free-up around £37,000 per practice by improving communication between GPs and hospitals and reducing GPs having to do work that non-GPs can do. Patients will also now be able to self-refer for some services, including physiotherapy, hearing tests, and podiatry, without seeing their GP first.
Finally, this plan delivers more appointments and more staff to create an extra 26,000 clinicians and 50 million extra appointments by March 2024. Alongside this, the Government is helping the NHS retain senior GPs by reforming pension rules, lifting 8,900 GPs out of annual tax charges.
Gareth said:
“Pushing for improvements to our local health services has always been a key priority for me, so I am very glad to see that this plan will benefit our area, allowing for increased access to primary care.
For many, I know that there have been challenges in accessing local GP services, including at Lakeside Healthcare in Stamford which I have discussed at length with local NHS leaders. I hope that this new plan will support the gradual improvements we have seen over recent months to make this vital local service more accessible for local people.
Having also visited Well Grantham Pharmacy on Hornsby Road just last year, I am very aware of the central role pharmacists have in our healthcare network, and it is right that this is reflected in this new plan.”
