The Government has fulfilled its promise of 50 million more GP appointments in England.
In South Ribble there has been a 19% increase in GP appointments.
I am very pleased to see these latest figures. Each extra GP appointment is another opportunity to make an early diagnosis that will save lives and ease pressure on hospitals as we tackle the covid backlog.
We’ve also recruited 50,000 more nurses across England, including 256 in South Ribble.
Nurses’ recruitment is supported by:
Financial support for eligible nursing students in the form of non-repayable grants of at least £5,000 per academic year.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan to further expand nurse training places, including apprenticeship routes and improving retention.
I would like to thank our NHS staff for all they are doing tackling the covid backlog. It is important that they are supported. In practical terms this means:
A new £2 billion hospital for South Ribble, complete with purpose-built nurses’ accommodation.
Further support for GPs through the new Pharmacy First initiative that allows pharmacists to prescribe drugs for common ailments to relieve pressure on surgeries.
