Oral Answers to Questions

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Tuesday 10th March 2020 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

The inequalities in health outcomes are what I am particularly concerned about, especially the length of healthy life expectancy, which is of course affected by both communicable and non-communicable diseases, the public health around both of those important considerations and the wider issues that my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) just mentioned. We will take all of that into account as we look at how the public health grant is best allocated and best used, ahead of the spending review.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

2. What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for GP appointments.

[Edward Timpson (Eddisbury) (Con)]

5. What steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of appointments in GP surgeries.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Jo Churchill)]

We are creating an extra 50 million appointments a year in primary care, and we are growing the workforce by some 6,000 more GPs and 26,000 other clinical staff on the frontline. We are encouraging everyone to “Think Pharmacy First”, so that access to the right healthcare professional is there when people need it.

[Sir Desmond Swayne]

When will patients notice the difference?

[Jo Churchill]

Shortly—I thank my right hon. Friend for that. First, I should like just to whip over the statistics. In December, there were nearly 400 more nurses, 200 more doctors and 1,000 more other staff providing patient care in primary care than there were a year earlier. By encouraging recruitment and retention, and minimising unnecessary bureaucracy, we will help primary care to support the patients in the most appropriate way and ensure that everyone has faster access to appointments sooner. If you would indulge me for a second, Mr Speaker, I would like to thank all those in primary care and across the NHS, who are working harder than ever to provide support to patients as our response to coronavirus ramps up. Everyone has a part to play in getting through the next few weeks and months. We are rightly proud of how our NHS has and will continue to support anyone affected, but we need also to support them.