Julian raises concern over access to primary healthcare for York villages
October 13, 2022
At Business Questions this morning, Julian asked for a debate on Government time about rural access to primary healthcare, especially GP services.
This follows Wheldrake surgery being closed for a prolonged period meaning some residents are paying £30 for a roundtrip in a taxi to visit the nearest GP surgery in Elvington. Also, Stockton-on-the-Forest GP surgery announced this week that they were reducing staffing hours to two mornings per week.
The Health Secretary has committed to improving access to GP appointments as part of her ABCD (ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors and dentists) plan for the NHS setting the expectation that no one should wait longer than two weeks for an appointment and urgent cases should be seen the same day.
Speaking after his question, Julian said:
“Following the pandemic, I know it is the desire of all my colleagues to see primary healthcare return to seeing as many patients as quickly as possible. While improvements are being made to phonelines so patient calls can be triaged more effectively, these investments do not help those patients who cannot access a GP surgery.
Those most at risk of being isolated from primary healthcare are those living in villages that traditionally used to have their own GP. Once the surgery closes, they are left without easy access to healthcare and worryingly are more likely to make do rather than seek the help they need.
The Government needs to recognise this issue and work with practice groups to ensure access to a GP is protected in villages such as Wheldrake and Stockton-on-the-Forest”
