Residents of Shefford have been in touch with me recently about
difficulty getting appointments at their (otherwise excellent) GP surgery. The
same problem faces people living in Cranfield and Flitwick.
Housing development often gets the blame, and there's
no denying it's played a part. Increasing demand puts pressure on services. But
there's also a lack of supply. We don't have enough GPs.
I know the Department of Health and the Beds Clinical
Commissioning Group are aware of the problem and are working on solutions. For
the good of my constituents I will be putting pressure on them to do that
quicker.
I'm applying for a debate in Parliament to raise the
specific issues faced by Mid-Beds residents when accessing GP services. I will
also continue providing feedback to the CCG as they complete their strategy on
the future provision of services across the constituency.
We have seen investment in the NHS from the Government
recently, with promises of more to come. But the people I represent
deserve to start seeing that reflected in the services they use every day.