COLUMN: A new deal for GPs to fix the front door of the NHS

Knocking on doors across Luton South and South Bedfordshire, I hear time and again from residents who are fed up with the 8am rush for appointments and seeing a different GP each time.

Our Labour government made fixing our NHS a priority after the election. We have already delivered two million extra appointments seven months earlier than anticipated, we are cutting waiting lists and now we are working to fix our primary care system.

I am delighted that the Labour Government has announced a landmark agreement with GPs to fix the front door of the NHS. This new deal will slash red tape and cut box ticking targets to free up GPs, make more appointments available and take the first steps towards bringing back the family doctor.

This is the first agreement with the British Medical Association on the GP contract for four years, representing a reset of relations within our health service. It is backed by an extra £889 million next year, representing the biggest funding boost for General Practice in years and reversing the decade-long cuts to general practice funding as a share of the NHS budget.

From October, the new agreed contract will modernise general practice by requiring GP surgeries to allow patients to request appointments online throughout working hours, freeing up the phones for those who need them most, and making it easier for practices to triage patients based on medical need.

There is much more work to be done to reform our NHS, but this is a definitive turning point. We are prioritising improving patients’ access to General Practice and putting the family doctor at the heart of the shift to a community care service, allowing people to receive healthcare on their doorstep.

Everyone across Luton South and South Bedfordshire deserves accessible healthcare, and these reforms are part of our Plan for Change to make general practice fit for the future.