Ian Sollom MP calls for the right to see a GP in 7 days and asks residents to complete his online health survey as waiting times spiral

Ian Sollom MP is demanding the right to see a GP in 7 days as waiting times for appointments in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have spiralled since Labour has been in power.
  
The call comes as Liberal Democrat analysis reveals that this October, more than 100,000 patients in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board waited over four weeks for a GP appointment. This is a huge 247% increase from July 2024, when the Labour government took office. There was also a 116% increase in the same period for those waiting two weeks for a GP appointment.
  
Ian warned that these delays have resulted in residents across Cambridgeshire being left to “suffer in silence” whilst putting even more strain on local A&E units.
 
The Liberal Democrats are campaigning for a GP rescue package which would introduce a new legal right to see a GP within seven days, or 24 hours if urgent, by recruiting and retaining 8,000 more doctors.
 
The package would also see a new dedicated fund to open surgeries in areas that have lost GPs or seen new development and allow people to book a GP appointment 24/7 via 111.
 
Ian is also encouraging residents to fill in his online health survey, which asks a range of questions around local NHS services including ambulance waiting times; access to GPs and dentists; A&E services and cancer treatment.
 
Ian said: “It is a disgrace that over 100,000 people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough were forced to wait over a month for a GP appointment. This leaves people suffering in silence, waiting in pain or anxiety whilst vital symptoms are left unchecked and puts even more pressure on our already stretched A&E services.
  
“The NHS is my top priority because I am contacted by so many constituents who are facing issues such as long waiting times to see a GP or access treatment, no access to an NHS dentist and those who have had terrible experiences in hospital A&Es.
 
“We know staff in the NHS are working incredibly hard under very difficult circumstances, but the NHS is at breaking point. We need to protect it and invest in it for us and future generations.
  
“It should be there for all of us when we need it – so I would urge people to fill in this survey so I can understand the issues and work to bring about the change needed.”