THE ‘morning scramble’ of having to ring your GP at 8am in the hopes of getting an appointment are set to come to an end, as the Welsh Government pushes funding to GPs in a bid to “implement more efficient booking systems”.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan announced on 1 December new changes to the GP contract to help to improve access to appointments.

The changes, which are backed by £12m of extra investment, will “end the morning scramble to book an appointment”, the Welsh Government said.

The revised contract will make it clear the practice of releasing appointments daily at 8am is no longer acceptable.

Instead, the new GP access commitment will help ensure people are triaged appropriately and if an appointment is needed, people receive one, which is right for their clinical needs.

The new General Medical Services (GMS) contract deal will also include an uplift to pay for GPs and practice staff and extra funding to increase capacity and staffing to help to respond to winter pressures.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: “We know GPs and their staff are under significant pressure at the moment.

“They have played a really important role during the pandemic.

“I am very pleased we have been able to agree a new contract which rewards all staff working in general practice with a pay rise.

“We have also agreed a way forward to improve the appointment system.

“I want to see an end to the 8am bottleneck where patients have to telephone their practice numerous times, day after day to get an appointment.

“The extra funding announced today will support GP practices to build capacity and implement more efficient booking systems to better manage patient need.

“I have also announced an extra £2m to help meet the immediate pressures our GPs will face this winter.”

The £4m extra funding will be made available to GPs for the next three financial years to ensure the retention of the additional capacity and in support of the commitment made around access to services.

Nick Wood, executive director at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said “we are pleased this agreement recognises the hard work and commitment of all staff working within general practice.”

“The three per cent pay uplift for all GPs and practice staff shows our commitment to supporting the workforce and the sustainability of the services they deliver,” Mr Wood added.

Dr Phil White, chair of GPC Wales said: “We are pleased that our collaborative working relationship with Welsh Government and NHS Wales has resulted in a contractual agreement which we hope will go some way to support practices under great duress.”