Therese Coffey will tell the Commons that patients with the most urgent needs should also be seen on the same day as part of a bid to improve access to doctors’ appointments. The government will not set an official target and there will be no recourse for patients if practices do not meet the expectations set for them, with Ms Coffey telling the BBC: “It’s not about being overly prescriptive from Whitehall about how exactly is a general practitioner going to run his practice.” But he has promised to “take some of the burden off GP surgeries” to help meet the timetable by hiring additional support staff, including GP assistants and advanced practice nurses, to enable doctors to focus on patient care – claiming the move will be free for over a million dates a year. Live policy updates: ‘Big questions’ remain about energy plan for businesses New cloud-based phone systems will also be installed to help people get through surgeries more easily – something suggested by her predecessor, Steve Barclay. A body representing health trusts in England and Wales said the measures would “not come close” to solving waiting times and the body representing GPs said it was “not a plan”. The health secretary will tell MPs: “I will put a laser focus on the needs of patients, making their priorities my priorities and championing them on the issues that affect them most. “Our Patient Plan will make it easier to get GP appointments and we will work tirelessly to achieve this, alongside the support of our GP working teams. “We know this winter will be difficult and this is just the first step in our work to strengthen valuable NHS and social care services so people can get the care they need.” But Labour’s shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said the last Labor government “secured a doctor’s appointment within 48 hours until the Conservatives scrapped it”, adding: “The Conservatives promising to solve the difficulties they face patients in making a doctor’s appointment are like arsonists promising to put out the fire.” He also criticized the government’s promises of a “digital revolution in the NHS”, saying: “NHS staff who work steadily would hope for something more advanced than the telephone to help them”. “New Ambitions” As part of her plan, Ms Coffey will appeal to the public to join a “national effort” to support health and social care, urging volunteers who came forward during the COVID pandemic to offer their services again . It will also allow pharmacies to manage and supply contraceptive prescriptions, again freeing up space in surgeries, and will continue to send the message to people to go to pharmacies for minor illnesses or symptoms, such as coughs, headaches or sore throats. Another part of the change will see the government introduce the publication of appointment data for every GP practice. More details will be outlined in Ms Coffey’s Commons statement, but so far she has the support of NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard, who said: “We will work with the government so we can support NHS staff to deliver these new aspirations for patients. by developing a long-term workforce plan’. However, the Royal College Of General Practitioners heavily criticized the proposals, saying it was “not a plan”. They said Ms Coffey should have spoken to her frontline members’ GPs to understand the challenges before “unloading a struggling service with more expectations”. The measures “will not come close” to helping There is a shortage of more than 4,000 full-time equivalent doctors, according to the NHS Confederation. The organisation, which represents trusts across England and Wales, said it welcomed any support for the “workload and workforce crisis”, but added: “These measures will not come close to ensuring that patients who need a visit can be within the specified time limits. They will also have little impact on solving the current problems facing general practice over the winter and could jeopardize continuity of care for those who need it.” And Labour’s Mr Streeting said: “The Conservatives have failed to provide the doctors and nurses they need to treat patients on time and patients are paying the price in long waiting times. “Unless the government presents a plan for the NHS staffing crisis tomorrow, it has no plan for the NHS.” New Prime Minister Liz Truss has said tackling problems in the NHS is one of the top priorities of her premiership. And Ms Coffey, who has also been appointed deputy prime minister, promised to tackle the ‘A, B, C, D’ issues – ie ambulance delays, hospital delays, (social) care and doctor/dentist appointments.
