David Taylor MP welcomes better GP access for Hemel Hempstead

New GP contract delivers funding to recruit equivalent of 1600 full-time GP's and patients with urgent needs to get same-day appointment.

placeholder image — New GP contract delivers funding to recruit equivalent of 1600 full-time GP's and patients with urgent needs to get same-day appointment.

David Taylor, Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead, has welcomed the announcement that it will become easier for residents to secure same-day GP appointments for urgent care.

Under the new GP contract announced yesterday (Tuesday 24th February), GPs will be required to provide at least 90% of urgent care patients with a same-day appointment. This is backed by £485 million in additional funding and a ringfenced £300 million to train new GPs and boost surgery capacity.

The new contract introduces several vital health improvements:

Digital Access: Online consultation systems must now remain open throughout core hours (8:00am – 6:30pm), ensuring patients can contact their GP digitally during the working day.
Cancer & Weight Support: Better data sharing will help identify patients for the Lung Cancer Screening Programme, while a £25 million scheme will help those with severe obesity access weight loss support and jabs.
Childhood Protection: New incentives for GP immunisations will ensure more babies and children are protected from deadly viruses.
Continuity of Care: GPs will now be required to prioritise seeing the same doctor for patients with ongoing needs, ensuring better long-term health outcomes.

David Taylor, Labour MP for Hemel Hempstead, said: “For too long, our GPs were underfunded and overstretched, and families across Hemel Hempstead and the villages paid the price.

These changes prove that Labour is putting GPs back at the heart of our NHS. By cutting the '8am scramble' and ensuring urgent cases are seen same-day, we are making the system fairer and faster for everyone.”