Call On Government To Ensure More Local GPs

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 29th Apr 2003

David Rendel MP intervened in today's Health Questions in the House of Commons, to raise the issue of GP services in West Berkshire.

Mr Rendel said:

"We face a real recruitment and retention problem for GPs in West Berkshire. Northcroft Surgery has a vacancy that it has been unable to fill.

"Unless more GPs are recruited into the area, the Government's target of offering all patients an appointment within 48 hours will be almost impossible to meet - especially in surgeries where they are temporarily short of one or more doctors due to holidays, illness or retirement.

"Our already over-stretched GPs would be forced to work day and night, and we run the risk of even more doctors dropping out of the service.

"It is vital that the Government addresses the need to fund local health services properly, and deals with the problem of high housing costs which faces GPs and other public service workers."