Cameron's Pledge For Seven-Day Access To GPs
Updated: 9:30am UK, Tuesday 30 September 2014
David Cameron has pledged to make sure everyone in the country has access to their family doctor seven days a week.
At the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister is expected to announce a £100m spending boost to improve access to family doctors should the Tories win next year's election.
He said the move would put the "family doctor service back front and centre of the NHS" and take the pressure off already over-stretched accident and emergency departments.
Mr Cameron told Sky News that by 2015 10 million people in England would be able to see their GP between 8am and 8pm on weekdays and weekends. This would be extended to include the entire country by 2020.
In an attempt to fight back against Labour's claim to be the party of the NHS, he reiterated his commitment to the health service saying: "I am the Conservative leader who said he could sum up his beliefs in three letters - n, h, s."
He said that without a strong economy there could be no funding for the NHS and added he has protected the health service from cuts.
GPs will also take responsibility for individual patients as part of a new GP contract being launched by NHS Employers.
However, today the chief inspector of GPs has said 200 surgeries face closure because of poor care. Earlier this year the head of the Royal College of GPs warned it would take an extra £1bn and 10,000 extra GPs to provide seven-day access.
The announcement comes after Chancellor George Osborne claimed the Tories, not Labour, are "the real party of the NHS".
Last year Mr Cameron set up a Challenge Fund for GP access which allocated £50m to 20 health groups.
Under a second wave of proposed funding, practices will be able to bid for awards from the extra £100m fund.
Sky's Political Editor Faisal Islam said the NHS is set to be "front and centre" of the campaign leading up to next year's election.
"This is a new front, the NHS. They [the Conservatives] won't cede this ground to Labour," he said.
"They are convinced that if Labour is ahead on the NHS in polling and behind on the economy, they have to have a strong promise on the NHS.
"This is the beginning of what we will get and it's going to be a continuing battle."
But the commitment has already drawn criticism from Labour, which argues the government has made it "harder, not easier" for patients to get a GP appointment.
Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said: "David Cameron made an almost identical announcement this time last year but, in the 12 months since he has made it harder, not easier, to get a GP appointment.
"After the election, David Cameron scrapped Labour's GP appointment guarantee and cut support for evening and weekend opening. His broken promises on the NHS have caught up with him."
On Monday, Mr Osborne announced a two-year freeze on benefits for those who could be working.
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