GP surgeries are currently under incredible pressure, delivering the largest ever NHS vaccination programme and dealing with a huge backlog of appointments that has built up during the pandemic, particularly with patients developing long term conditions or poor mental health.

I’m very grateful for the work that GPs and their teams are doing, helping more patients than ever before – up 20% on average from pre-pandemic levels.  I’m pleased that the latest national Ipsos-Mori survey showed a welcome increase in patient satisfaction in Haringey at 81%, the highest level since 2014.

However, many constituents have expressed their frustration at the outdated telephone booking systems that can make it so time consuming and difficult to get GP appointments.   In Haringey 50% of practices still don’t have modern telephony systems, creating a real inequality in the service people receive.

At Business Questions today, I asked the Leader of the House if  the Government can look into support with capital spend for such systems that can make such a difference for patients and for staff.  Watch my question – and the Minister’s response.