MP Kevin Foster: End to the 8am rush for GP appointments

Problems with getting a GP appointment is an issue regularly raised with me. NHS England has now published its GP recovery plan.

As part of work to free up GP time for consultations which need their skills, it outlines patients will be able to get prescription medicine directly from the pharmacist without the need for a GP appointment for seven common conditions including urinary tract infection.

Women will also be able to go into their local pharmacy for oral contraception, plus half a million people a year being able to self-refer to services including physiotherapy, hearing tests, and podiatry, without seeing their GP first.

Better phone technology will also enable practices to manage multiple calls and redirect them to other specialists, such as pharmacists and mental health practitioners, if more suitable.

The aim is to end the 8am rush and being unable to speak with someone when you need help.

A change in local authority planning guidance will mean access to primary care for new residential areas are given the same level of importance as education facilities.

Finally, pharmacy services will also get £645million over the next two years to boost staffing and resources.

These announcements are welcome and will also help take pressure off NHS urgent care services which often become the fall-back option when a GP appointment is not available.

Puppy smuggling

I joined Dogs Trust at an event held in the House of Commons, to raise awareness of the urgency to progress the Kept Animals Bill which would tackle the illegal trade of puppy smuggling.

The Kept Animals Bill includes provisions to tackle abuse of the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS), which the charity has been exposing since 2014.

Unscrupulous traders continue to take advantage of the scheme to illegally import under-age puppies – which are often unvaccinated and in poor welfare conditions – to be sold to unsuspecting buyers, while turning a huge profit for themselves at the cost of animal welfare.

Additionally, these unlawful traders are increasingly transporting heavily pregnant dogs which can cause significant suffering and health implications to the mum, puppies and potentially unsuspecting buyers.

The Bill would also help tackle this issue by restricting the movement of pregnant dogs.

It has my full support and I look forward to seeing it back before MPs quickly.

New leadership

It was great to see Cllr Dave Thomas become leader of Torbay Council after a Conservative victory against the national trend two weeks ago.

Now I look forward to working with him and the Conservative team to deliver for our Bay, especially on finally ending the delay and dither around regenerating our town centres.

Surgery times

My next surgeries are on Saturday, May 27, from 11am to 1pm at Preston Baptist Church, Old Torquay Road, Paignton TQ3 2RB and Saturday, June 3, from 10am to midday at St Martin’s Church, Barton Hill Road, Torquay TQ2 8JA.

Surgeries are for personal queries from residents they would like me to help them with.

For an appointment you can either email me at [email protected] or leave a message on 01803 214989.

There are also drop-in sessions at my office 5-7 East Street, Torquay TQ2 5SD between 10am and 1pm, Monday to Friday, where a member of my team will be available to help with any queries.