MORE Barnsley GPs have finally been recruited in order to help fix the early-morning rush for appointments.

Landmark new figures published last week show that more than 1,500 GPs have been recruited since last October, with many making their way to surgeries across South Yorkshire.

Stephanie Peacock, the MP for Barnsley South, welcomed the increased GP capacity that will help ‘fix the front door of the NHS’ and increase appointments.

The recruitment boost, part of the government’s Plan For Change, will help end the ‘scandal’ of patients in Barnsley struggling to see a doctor, according to the MP.

“We all know how important access to our NHS is, however local residents regularly vent their frustration after enduring the ‘8am scramble’ and the difficulty that they have in getting a GP appointment,” she added.

“I promised residents in Barnsley South that we would help bring back the family doctor and I’m delighted to see over 1,500 examples of Labour continuing to deliver on that promise.

“People will be more readily able to receive the timely care they deserve, helping to shift healthcare from hospitals to the community, easing pressure on local GPs and cutting waiting lists.”

A deal was struck with Britain’s biggest doctors’ union - the British Medical Association - backed by the biggest funding boost for general practice in years, reversing the decade-long cuts to general practice funding as a share of the NHS budget.

It is also the first agreement with the BMA on the GP contract for four years, representing a reset of relations after recent collective action under the Conservatives that has blighted the health service.

It will free up doctors from red tape and box-ticking targets to concentrate on treating patients, the government said.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said: “Rebuilding our broken NHS starts with fixing the front door.

“We inherited a ludicrous situation where patients couldn’t get a GP appointment, while GPs couldn’t get a job.

“By cutting red tape and investing more in our NHS, we have put an extra 1,503 GPs into general practice to deliver more appointments.

“The extra investment and reforms we have made will allow patients to book appointments more easily, to help bring back the family doctor and end the 8am scramble.

“It is only because of the necessary decisions we took to increase employer National Insurance that we are able to recruit more GPs and deliver better services for patients.

“The extra investment and reform this government is making, as part of its Plan For Change, will get the NHS back on its feet and make it fit for the future.”

NHS Digital figures show that more than 120 full-time equivalent, fully-trained GPs were working at surgeries in the borough in November - in line with the year before.

However, the NHS has lost more than 400 individual GP partners and 244 salaried, locum and retainer GPs in the last 12 months, according to the BMA.

This has created a net loss of 646 individual GPs since January 2022, leading to a knock-on impact on waiting times at Barnsley Hospital’s A and E as patients seek help elsewhere due to a lack of appointments at GPs.

Marie Tidball, MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, welcomed the ‘landmark’ announcement.

“The newly-agreed contract will modernise general practice by requiring GP surgeries to allow patients to request appointments online, freeing up the phones for those who need them most, and making it easier for practices to triage patients based on medical need.

“I am delighted that the Labour government delivered on their promises and struck a new deal with GPs which will allow them to spend less time form-filling and more time delivering appointments for local residents.

“Fixing the front door of the NHS and bringing back the family doctor a priority that came up on the doorstep in our communities again and again, and I’m grateful to the government for taking action on this priority so soon after the election.

“This landmark announcement is a major step forward towards achieving this ambition.”