Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce GP waiting times in Ashford constituency.

We know that patients are finding it harder than ever to see a general practitioner (GP) and we are committed to fixing the the crisis in GPs to secure the long-term sustainability of the National Health Service.

Ashford sits within the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB), where the percentage of appointments delivered within two weeks of booking, 79.4%, is 3.2% lower than the national average, which is 82.6%.

Our plan to restore GPs and improve the waiting times to see a GP will require both investment and reform. We have already invested £82 million to recruit over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement scheme, which will continue to increase the capacity in GPs, as well as take pressure off those currently working in the system. We have committed to train thousands more GPs and finally end the 8:00am scramble for GP appointments by introducing a modern booking system.