I’ve been inundated with emails about the impact of the budget from businesses and farmers - but also from our local doctors. Last week I held a round table with GPs to hear from them directly.
GPs and practice managers told me how the rise in National Insurance Contributions announced in the Budget will increase their costs by tens of thousands of pounds. As a result, plans to recruit extra doctors are now on hold. Instead, redundancies may be on the cards. This is the last thing patients want to hear when it’s already hard to get an appointment in many doctors’ surgeries.
After that meeting I have sent letters to the Secretary of State for Health and the Chancellor urging them to listen to GPs – together with Care Homes and Hospices who are also being hard-hit by the NI rise.
