Home / Health / NHS Boosts Same-Day GP Access: 100% Urgent Slots Promised
NHS Boosts Same-Day GP Access: 100% Urgent Slots Promised
25 Feb
Summary
- All patients needing urgent care will be offered same-day GP appointments.
- Practices receive £300 million dedicated to hiring more doctors.
- New target aims for 100% of urgent patient needs met same-day.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced new plans to enhance same-day access to GP appointments. A key reform mandates that 100 per cent of patients requiring urgent help will be offered a slot on the same day they call their practice. This significantly raises the current target of 90 per cent.
To support this goal, GP surgeries will receive additional funding. A substantial £300 million has been ringfenced specifically for hiring more doctors and increasing appointment availability. These measures aim to improve patient care, focusing on preventative services and ensuring continuity, thereby keeping people healthier and out of hospital.
These changes are designed to address patient frustrations with long waiting times, which have contributed to low public satisfaction with the NHS and increased demand on A&E departments. The King's Fund notes that this initiative emphasizes prevention and patient access within the new GP contract.
