Health secretary hails talks over defence, security and trade as Badenoch says her party will continue to oppose Chagos deal
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, told the Today programme this morning that the NHS would not be “on the table” in trade talks with the US. But he said the NHS had a lo of offer as a research partner. He explained:
We’re not in the business of selling off people’s data, but in terms of data access, absolutely the thing that the NHS can offer and the thing that the NHS can get in return is being a really strong partner for clinical trials.
Providing access to a diverse patient cohort – so in terms of clinical trials – that means we can push the boundaries of our understanding of medical science and research absolutely critical for the development of new treatments and technologies.
The new deal agreed yesterday (February 27) between the government and British Medical Association (BMA) will free up doctors from red tape and box-ticking targets to concentrate on what they do best – treating patients.
The new agreed contract will modernise general practice by requiring GP surgeries to allow patients to request appointments online throughout working hours from October, freeing up the phones for those who need them most, and making it easier for practices to triage patients based on medical need. The reforms are part of the government’s Plan for Change to make general practice fit for the future and will support GPs in taking the first steps to end the 8am scramble for appointments, which so many patients currently endure every day - in turn improving access to GPs for everyone.
Today, we have taken the first step to fixing the front door to the NHS, bringing back the family doctor, and ending the 8am scramble.
Over the past decade, funding for GPs has been cut relative to the rest of the NHS, while the number of targets for GPs has soared. That’s why patients are struggling to get an appointment.
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