Since the coronavirus pandemic, Michael has been contacted by a number of constituents throughout Surrey Heath regarding the difficulties they have had accessing GP appointments.
Michael holds regular catch ups with the Chief Executive Officer of NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board, Fiona Edwards, and raised this issue in May and July 2022 where he was informed of the acute strain that had been placed on GP services because of coronavirus. Ms Edwards kindly informed Michael that a new patient/partner strategy was being formed, to be launched in August 2022, with the aim of overcoming the challenges that had been faced by surgeries as well as improving patient engagement.
Following further correspondence from residents, Michael wrote once more to Ms Edwards in August to outline the ongoing complaints that had been raised and to ask for an update on the rollout of patient/partner strategy. He has since received the below reply from Ms Edwards explaining precisely how local GP Practices will be improving their relationship with patients by maximising engagement, and he looks forward to his next catch up where he will enquire about how these changes are making a difference to people in Surrey Heath.