Oral Answers to Questions

Steve Baker Excerpts
Tuesday 21st March 2017

(7 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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David Mowat Portrait David Mowat
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We do recognise that in parts of the country there are shortages of GPs. As Members have heard, we are planning to have 5,000 more doctors working in general practice by 2020, and a proportion of those will be in Teesside. It is important that we meet that goal.

Steve Baker Portrait Mr Steve Baker (Wycombe) (Con)
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GPs in Wycombe cite long hours, bureaucracy and the declining attractiveness of the partnership model as reasons why people do not want to be in general practice. Will the Minister ensure that funding within the forward view is directed to deal with those key problems?

David Mowat Portrait David Mowat
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Yes, and the contract discussions that we have just completed with the British Medical Association addressed a number of the issues that my hon. Friend talks about, in terms of the pressures on doctors working in general practice. We acknowledge that the workload pressures are enormous, and, through the contract, we need to do all that we can to mitigate them.