The Liberal Democrats have proposed that all people in England over the age of 70, or with long-term health conditions, should be given access to a named GP. According to the party, reintroducing a family doctor could reduce appointments in hospitals and save money for the National Health Service (NHS). Patients over the age of 70 in England have had access to named GPs since 2013, and this extended to all patients in 2015. However, Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey says that the policy has not been implemented in full.
The Conservative Party has criticised the “huge unfunded spending commitment” made by the Liberal Democrats, calling it “just another empty promise”. The Liberal Democrats estimate that 18.7 million people in England would benefit from this policy. This includes patients with long-term health conditions, who would be offered appointments with their named GP as a first option whenever possible. This has been found to benefit those groups the most.
The Liberal Democrats have pledged to give all people a legal right to see a GP within a week, or 24 hours if in urgent need. Sir Ed added that his party wants to see the return of the family doctor and to avoid long-term care patients having to repeat their details at every appointment. He estimates that an extra £1bn each year and 8,000 more GPs would be needed to deliver the scheme, which he believes will take at least four years.
Minister for public health Andrea Leadsom criticised the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party, claiming that they have “no plan” and “would take us back to square one”. Meanwhile, Labour has promised to cut red tape to make it easier for patients to see the same GP each appointment if they choose, offering GP practices incentives to provide patients with continuity of care. Meanwhile, the party plans to train many more GPs each year to reduce wait times.
Both the Liberal Democrats and Labour are proposing policies aimed at reducing pressure on the NHS by enabling more patients to see their regular GP. Sir Ed believes that reducing the need for hospital appointments will ultimately save money as well as improve patient experience
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