In a debate on Tuesday (03/09/24), Sam Carling – Labour MP for North West Cambridgeshire – highlighted how 12.5% of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough GP practices are being run under private-provider APMS[1] contracts, compared to just 1% of practices across the whole of the UK. 

Raising this in Parliament, Carling explained how “These contracts are held by private companies whose loyalties lie with their shareholders, and this stealth privatisation of our regional services is an appalling legacy of the last government’s 14 years of failure.” 

“Not only are these private contracts bad for patients, with continuity of care poorer due to a higher proportion of locum staff employed, but they are also far more expensive for the taxpayer.” 

These contracts are issued when GP surgeries operating under a more standard contract, where local GPs run the surgery, have to hand back their contracts “because they just cannot cope financially anymore”. But Carling welcomed the fact that “this Labour government is taking immediate steps to address the situation, with a 7.4% increase to the global funding sum for GP practices having been announced for 2024/25. We will fix this mess, but it is going to take time.” 

Carling also highlighted the overall lack of GPs in the region, explaining how this May alone, GPs in Cambridgeshire carried out 547,804 appointments – equivalent to 64% of the county in just one month. In North West Cambridgeshire, there are less fully qualified GPs now than there were in 2017. 

Carling called for the right investment in staffing and infrastructure to help close regional disparities in health outcomes, and resolve issues around recruitment and retention. 

“Dealing with all of this will be a huge undertaking, and the government has been left with a terrible inheritance.” 

“Addressing it will require a deftness, competency and compassion we haven’t seen for fourteen years. But the Government has started well, and I have every confidence that the East, and those in my constituency of North West Cambridgeshire, will benefit from this Labour government’s approach, and see a better experience, for staff and patients alike.”

Notes:

[1] APMS stands for Alternative Provider Medical Services 

Sam’s full speech can be viewed here.