Tackling the 8am GP appointments rush

The GP service is under great pressure in West Cumberland and elsewhere and phoing one's GP\ surgery at 8am to try to get an appointment can be a nightmare.

So I was pleased today when the government announced a new Primary Care Plan, to make it easier to get GP appointments and other NHS services and help cut NHS waiting lists.

• The pandemic has had a huge impact on the NHS and our ability to access healthcare, so we must make it easier to access NHS services and cut waiting lists.

• That is why the government is taking action today and has announced a new £885 million Primary Care Plan, which will tackle the 8am rush and make it easier to get an appointment, support patients accessing some prescriptions from pharmacies without first seeing a GP, and deliver more GPs and GP appointments in our NHS. 

• This plan will help to cut waiting lists by freeing up around 15 million GP appointments over the next two years, delivering a better service for patients.