General Practitioners: West Bromwich

Department of Health and Social Care written question – answered at on 8 October 2024.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Sarah Coombes Sarah Coombes Labour, West Bromwich

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve patient satisfaction with GP services in West Bromwich Constituency.

Photo of Stephen Kinnock Stephen Kinnock Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that despite the hard work of general practice (GP) teams, patients are still struggling to access care from GPs nationally and in local areas such as Bromwich. We also know that while GPs are delivering record numbers of appointments, patient satisfaction has dropped nationally.

We have a plan to fix this, which will require both investment and reform. Firstly, we will increase the proportion of funding for GPs, starting with a commitment to recruit over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. This will increase the number of appointments delivered in GPs, secure the future pipeline of GPs, as well as take pressure off those currently working in the system.

Additionally, we will deliver a modern booking system and end the 8:00am scramble for GP appointments, which we know impacts patient satisfaction. We will also bring back the family doctor by incentivising GPs to see the same patient to improve care for those with long-term conditions.

Does this answer the above question?

Yes4 people think so

No3 people think not

Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.

Secretary of State

Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

constituency

In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent