Reading patients are struggling to see their GPs, according to readers of the Chronicle.

Liz Truss sent mixed messages this morning as she hinted at cuts in ‘plenty of areas’ as well as ‘focusing’ spending on services like GP appointments.

Healthcare spending rose by 4.3 per cent on average each year under Labour until 2010, but Conservative governments have cut growth since then, Covid costs notwithstanding.

By 2020-21, the NHS was £50bn poorer than if governments had continued spending at Labour’s rate of growth, according to British Medical Association analysis of ONS data.

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Some Reading residents were feeling the impact of oversubscribed GP surgeries, such as Brian Tea who said: “I once had to call the surgery 77 times before I got through to a human being only to be told it would be days before a doctor would even call me to decide if I needed to see them.

“It’s no wonder A&E is so overstretched if all GPs are like this.”

Rebecca Newman said: “We have to phone 8am for an appointment that day or ask for an availability of appointments that may be in two weeks-time.”

The experience of booking an appointment in Reading varies greatly between surgeries.

At Abbey Medical Centre, 84 per cent of patients found their experience of making an appointment good or very good, while just 41 per cent felt the same at London Street Surgery, according to the GP Patient Survey.

Almost half (48 per cent) found booking an appointment poor or very poor at Western Elms & Circuit Lane Surgeries, but less than one per cent had a negative experience at Pembroke Surgery.

Resident Jeanette Stockman said: “I never have a problem getting a doctor’s appointment. I call on the day to get an appointment, I get [an] appointment the same day.

“My doctors are brilliant.”

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A spokesperson for Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board said: "Demand for primary care services continues to be high. To help ease these pressures, the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board is working with local GP practices to improve access.

"These improvements include installing new phone systems which enable call-backs to patients; increasing the different types of staff available to see patients at GP surgeries; and groups of practices working together to offer evening and weekend appointments.

“This means people are able to see an appropriate health professional at a time which is more convenient. And appointments can be offered at a nearby practice or other NHS service, and can be for routine or urgent needs.”

Liz Truss hinted at where GP appointments would sit among spending priorities as she indicated Government departments will have to find ‘efficiency’ savings.

In a pooled clip for broadcasters, the Prime Minister said there were “plenty of areas” where Government could become more efficient.

“It is absolutely right that we always need to get value for taxpayers’ money. Every pound we take from somebody is a pound we could be spending on their future, on what they need to support themselves.

“There are always ways that we can organise things more efficiently. What I want to make sure is that taxpayer money is focused on frontline services, on getting our GP appointments, making sure people can see a doctor, making sure we deliver on our road projects, all of those things people rely on us for.”