Laurence Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for appointments at GP surgeries.

Dr Daniel Poulter

The Government recognises the importance of timely access to general practice. The Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund has allocated £50 million to pilot ways to improve access around the country, to give general practitioners (GPs) the flexibility to meet the needs of the local population. These pilots will benefit more than 7.5 million patients across more than 1,110 practices.

In addition, changes to the GP contract in April 2014 introduced a new Enhanced Service, which includes a commitment to same day telephone consultations with a professional in the GP surgery, where necessary, for the most at risk in the population.