Labour accuses Tories of treating GP services with astonishing neglect

[Northerner]

Labour has accused the government of treating GP services with astonishing neglect, as the party released an analysis that showed millions of patients have worse access to their family doctor than five years ago.

The shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, said a study of the GP patient surveys showed access to surgeries had got worse every year since 2012, when measuring how people feel about their local practices.

He said the analysis demonstrated the effects of sustained underfunding of primary care services under the Conservatives, despite the government’s claims to be moving toward better round-the-clock access to GPs.

https://www.theguardian.com/society...astonishing-neglect-access-worse-underfunding

 

[mikeyB]

Folk don't need 24 hour access to GPs. At least they never did for 60 odd years till the Tories came in to distract folk from their swingeing NHS cuts.

 

[Northerner]

During my time with diabetes (since 2008) my surgery has gone from having a 'walk-in' surgery three times a week where you could be seen on the day by the next available doctor - usually within an hour - or maybe a week to see the specific doctor of your choice, to no walk-ins and a three week wait for specific doctor and needing complete flexibility about appointment time/date In what way has this improved for me or any of the patients?

 

[mikeyB]

My local surgery went from walk ins morning and afternoon to walk ins in the morning, and appointments in the afternoon. Works just fine, apart from one thing. Locums. When I was asked to come in for an appointment on Friday, the staff had no idea who the doctor would be. This is a big problem in the Highlands and Islands.

 

[Bill Stewardson]

People are going to start noticing the things they took for granted becoming rarer, all around the country things are declining in the NHS.

Not sure how the media will manage to blame it on the employees, Brexit or anything else, but I'm sure they will do their best.