Letter from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

Following the Autumn Budget announcement on 30th October, and the increases to employer national insurance contributions (ENICs) and national living wage (NLW), I want to reassure you that I have heard the concerns you have raised both directly and through your representative bodies.

Fourteen years of neglect has left general practice suffering under the burden of a range of pressures and challenges that are getting in the way of what I know you come into work to do every day – provide the best care possible for your patients. On my many visits to GP practices in recent years I have witnessed firsthand the day-to-day reality of these challenges, and I am resolute in my determination to work with you to tackle them over the coming months and years. The NHS may be in the midst of the worst crisis in its history, but it is only by working together that we’ll get out of it.

I have already taken the first steps to fixing the front door of the NHS. We have started hiring an extra 1,000 GPs, provided general practice with one of the biggest core funding increases in recent years and launched a Red Tape Challenge to get rid of unnecessary bureaucracy, so GPs can spend less time filling in forms and more time caring for patients. This is just the start, and I am determined to go further.

Please follow this link to download the letter in full.