Fighting for better health provision locally is a big priority for me.
When I was a health minister, I made some big changes to make it easier to see your GP, which are now starting to take effect.
During the last Conservative government we increased funding for GPs. Even after inflation we increased spending by a fifth in real terms. For every two members of clinical staff there were in 2019, there are now three. In the 2019 election we promised 50 million extra GP appointments and we delivered that by 2023, meaning the average GP practice was doing 44 more appointments every working day than in 2019.
One of the reforms I helped launch was the new NHS Pharmacy First service. You can now get NHS treatment from your local pharmacy for a range of minor illnesses, including antibiotics if you need them. It is already being widely used here. The NHS estimates this will free up around 10 million GP appointments a year and it is being widely used here. Another big one I was involved in is the Long Term Plan for the NHS Workforce – this will double the number of places at medical school and grow the numbers going into General Practice by a further 50%.
But this isn’t enough, and I am continuing to press for investment to make it easier to access a GP here in Harborough, Oadby and Wigston.
Leicester’s hospitals were allocated substantial new investments under the last Conservative government. The new A&E at LRI has already been delivered and has made a big difference. Work has started at Kettering General too. Funds were allocated to create a new dedicated maternity hospital and a specialist children's hospital at the Royal Infirmary. I want to ensure this project is successfully delivered.
