Resolving 8am GP scramble ‘will take time’ – Streeting

The 8am scramble for GP appointments will be “wildly different” before the next general election, the Health Secretary has pledged.

Wes Streeting said that he would be out of a job if people’s experience of getting a GP appointment had not improved before July 2029.

But he refused to commit to a closer timeline.

Asked when the 8am scramble will end, Mr Streeting told LBC radio: “It is going to take time. We’ve just actually done a deal with GPs with a new contract, the first time that’s happened since the pandemic, and that will ensure that everyone in every part of the country can access services online, including appointment booking. So I think that will help.

“But, ultimately, this is going to be a case of step by step, year on year, seeing an improvement.”

I don’t make promises unless I’m 100% sure I can keep them

Pressed on whether the issue will be resolved by this time next year, Mr Streeting said: “I can’t guarantee that… obviously we’ll go as fast as we can.

“But, as you know, I don’t make promises unless I’m 100% sure I can keep them, so I wouldn’t want to over-promise today and then under-deliver. I’d rather go the other way around.”

He added: “Let’s certainly hope that, by the next general election, people feel that their experience of accessing general practice is wildly different and improved compared to when we came in.

“I wouldn’t like to give you a deadline today and then fall short. So, as I say, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating and whether people feel that their experience is better by the next general election.

“Otherwise, if I’m not delivering what the Prime Minister expects (of) me, he will get rid of me long before the next general election because he is a hard taskmaster.”

The minister was also quizzed on levels of satisfaction in the health service.

The British Social Attitudes survey, which covers England, Scotland and Wales, found only a fifth of respondents (21%) are now satisfied with the NHS.

Some 59% of adults say they are dissatisfied with the health service, up seven percentage points in a year and the highest level on record.

You end up getting people the right care in the right place at the right time

Mr Streeting told Sky News: “When NHS waiting lists fell five months on the trot, including peak winter pressures, I was keen to do two things: firstly, to tell the public that it is improving; but also to reassure people we’re not complacent – there’s still more than seven million people on NHS waiting lists, so there is still a mountain to climb.

“Similarly, today, I want to reassure people that we’ve not only delivered the 1,000 more GPS we promised by the end of March, we’ve gone even further – but also reassure people that we know there is much more to do to make sure that everyone can get a GP appointment when they need one.”

Ministers announced on Tuesday that an extra 1,503 GPs have been recruited since October last year.

Meanwhile Mr Streeting described plans for a “community health service”.

He told Times Radio that the scheme will see health workers go “door to door” to help “frequent flyers” of the health service.

“This pilot that we’re seeing operate in London and in Cornwall, (and) will soon be trialled in other parts of the country, is showing some really promising results,” he said.

“By focusing in communities where we know there is high need, high deprivation, and the people who I would call the ‘frequent flyers’, the frequent users of NHS services, by getting to people earlier you end up reducing A&E attendance, you end up getting people the right care in the right place at the right time which is not only better for them as patients, but more cost effective for the taxpayer.”

He said that it would not be “cold calling”, adding: “It’s focusing in on areas where there is evidence of high need and high deprivation.

“And yes, going door to door and talking to families, you find a huge amount of unmet need, people with a wide range of challenges which, if left unchecked and unattended, can then turn into health crises of one kind or another – whether that’s mental health crisis or someone attending A&E because they didn’t get care fast enough, which is worse for them and also more expensive for the taxpayer.”

Mr Streeting was also asked about a campaign calling for a prostate cancer screening programme.

He said: “This is a really important campaign on a couple of fronts: firstly, awareness is really important that making sure that people do go and get checked is important if there are any worrying signs or symptoms that people go and get checked and don’t feel awkward about talking about it.

There shouldn’t be a taboo around this, any more than there should be a taboo around issues like breast cancer or anything else, frankly.

“And secondly, there is a big campaign running at the moment for better cancer screening, and the National Screening Committee is looking very carefully at this moment.

“As soon as I’ve got anything to report back on that front, I’ll be back.”