GP appointments in Rotherham surge by 55,000 in just 12 months as health reforms kick in

The means an average of an additional 150 appointments every day across Rotherham communities, Government number-crunchers have worked out.

In total, Rotherham GPs handled more than two million appointments over the 12 months, adding to a nationally tally which saw the June record for GP appointments broken, across the country.

June’s figure was almost a third up on pre-pandemic numbers for the same month, nationally.

Plans are already in place for investment in nine GP surgeries across the borough, which is expected to boost local figures further.

Earlier this year Rotherham Council earmarked £250,000 of ‘planning money’, cash given over by housing developers to help communities cope with the additional burden of extra residents, to upgrade five surgeries.

That means Dinnington Medical Centre, The Gate Surgery, Rosehill Medical Centre, Stag Medical Centre and Thorpe Hesley Surgery will all benefit.

In addition to that, the Government has announced it will be putting more money into Brisworth and Whiston Medical Centre, High Street surgery at Rawmarsh, Kiveton Medical Centre and Wickersley Health Centre.

A new surgery is also due to open at Waverley later this year, a vital component in the creation of that new community, which is also getting its own Olive Lane shopping and leisure centre.

That means one in three GP surgeries in the borough are in line to benefit from investment from either Rotherham Council or Government.

Publishing the data, Labour Leader of Rotherham Council, Cllr Chris Read, said: “Labour promised families in Rotherham that we would get our local health service back on its feet and that’s exactly what we are doing.

“Fourteen years of Conservative failure left local people tearing their hair out at times when they wanted to see a doctor, but this boost in local GP appointments in the first year of the Labour Government shows things are moving in the right direction.

“We know that access to GPs is one of the things that people worry about when new homes are built, but instead of a race to the bottom like we had under the Tories, Labour’s investment will improve services for everyone.

“The alternative now seems to be those like Nigel Farage who have suggested that we change the funding model of our health service and charge people for access to the NHS. They’re dead wrong and the coming years will show it,” he said.

According to the Office for National Statistics, more than 72 per cent of people said they found it easy to contact their GP practice, a jump from less than 60 per cent in September last year.

Almost three quarters also rated their GP experience as good, up on the previous year.

Nationally, there are now 1,900 more GPs than before the last General Election.

Health Minister, Ashley Dalton, said: “By cutting red tape, increasing capacity, and helping GPs spend less time filling out paperwork, seven million additional GP appointments were delivered in the past year – 31.4 million appointments for June alone – meaning more patients getting time with their doctor and spending less time on a waiting list.”

“Through our 10 Year Health Plan we are shifting care from hospitals to community.”