The House of Commons Library analysis looks at funding for General Practices over the past four years once inflation is taken into account. It shows that funding per patient across the local NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) area, including Tewkesbury Constituency, has fallen by 1.7% since 2019.
It comes despite growing demand for GP services, with patients often having to wait weeks to get an appointment.
Nationally, GP practices have received a 6.9% real terms cut in funding per patient since 2019, whilst NHS waiting lists are near record numbers at 7.6 million.
Gloucestershire’s Liberal Democrats are calling for patients to be given a legal right to see their GP within seven days, or 24 hours if in urgent need. This would be achieved by increasing the number of fully qualified GPs by 8,000 with an initiative to boost recruitment and retain more experienced doctors.
Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Tewkesbury Constituency, Cameron Thomas said:
“Families and pensioners in Gloucestershire are currently struggling to see their GP despite being in need of medical advice. It is leaving people waiting in pain or simply anxious about not getting the care they need.
It is not right that our community is suffering the consequences of this Conservative government’s neglect of local health services.
Rishi Sunak and his failing government is totally out of touch with people’s concerns. Conservative MPs are too busy fighting amongst themselves to deliver the health services that we so desperately need.
Seeing your GP should be at the heart of our NHS. That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal right to see a GP within seven days or 24 hours in urgent need.”
GPs and care providers in Tewkesbury could be “pushed past the brink” without an exemption from the Budget’s National Insurance tax hike, Lib Dem MP Cameron Thomas has said.
