Local MP welcomes new deal for GPs to ‘fix the front door of the NHS’

The Labour Government has agreed a deal with Britain’s biggest doctors’ union to fix the front door of the NHS, bringing back the family doctor, and ending the 8am scramble for appointments. 

The deal for family doctors is backed by the biggest funding boost for General Practice in years, reversing the decade-long cuts to general practice funding as a share of the NHS budget. 

The new deal agreed on the 27 February between the Government and British Medical Association (BMA) will free up doctors from red tape and box-ticking targets to concentrate on what they do best – treating patients.  

It is also the first agreement with the BMA on the GP contract for four years, representing a reset of relations after recent collective action under the Conservatives that has blighted the health service. 

Marie Tidball MP, Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge, welcomes this “landmark” announcement. The news also follows the Labour Government confirming it has delivered the extra 2 million NHS appointments promised as part of its Plan for Change seven months early. 

The newly agreed contract will modernise general practice by requiring GP surgeries to allow patients to request appointments online throughout working hours from October, freeing up the phones for those who need them most, and making it easier for practices to triage patients based on medical need. The reforms are part of the government’s Plan for Change to make general practice fit for the future and will support GPs in taking the first steps to end the 8am scramble for appointments, which so many patients currently endure every day - in turn improving access to GPs for everyone.  

Marie Tidball MP, Member of Parliament for Penistone and Stocksbridge, said: 

“I am delighted that the Labour Government have delivered on their promises and struck a new deal with GPs which will allow them to spend less time form-filling and more time delivering appointments for local residents. 

“Fixing the front door of the NHS and bringing back the family doctor a priority that came up on the doorstep in our communities again and again, and I’m grateful to the Government for taking action on this priority so soon after the election. This landmark announcement is a major step forward towards achieving this ambition.” 

Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said:  

“Rebuilding the broken NHS starts with GPs. Patients need to be able to easily book an appointment, in the manner they want, with their regular doctor if they choose.  

“Today, we have taken the first step to fixing the front door to the NHS, bringing back the family doctor, and ending the 8am scramble.  

“Over the past decade, funding for GPs has been cut relative to the rest of the NHS, while the number of targets for GPs has soared. That’s why patients are struggling to get an appointment.  

“This government is cutting the red tape that ties up GPs time and backing them with an extra £889 million next year. In return, more patients will be able to request appointments online and see their regular doctor for each appointment. Through the Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, we will work with GPs to rebuild the NHS and make it fit for the future.”