The 8 a.m. rush for a GP appointment is one of the emblematic problems the NHS is facing. It’s something both Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak like to talk about: the former because he wants to emphasise that he is more in touch than the Prime Minister, who admitted to using private healthcare for his family, while Sunak wants to remind people that his mother owned a pharmacy in Southampton. Sunak is in that city today to launch reforms which he says will make it easier for patients to get the treatment they need – and make that 8 a.m. rush a great deal calmer.
Pharmacy First is already a policy in Scotland and is thought to have worked well
Health Secretary Steve Barclay is unveiling the Primary Care Recovery Plan, which will involve training pharmacists to prescribe antibiotics and other common treatments for low-level conditions, and upgrading GP phone systems so patients aren’t stuck with an engaged tone when they phone.
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