Steps to end the 8am scramble to get a GP appointment are making a difference says Blackpool South MP Chris Webb after Labour said new figures showed the Government had recruited more than 1,500 extra GPs.

Mr Webb has welcomed the increased GP capacity saying the Labour government has removed red tape which prevented surgeries from hiring doctors.

placeholder image — Labour says it is recruiting more GPs

He said: "We all know how important the front door to our NHS is. But when I knock on doors in our community, local residents regularly vent their frustration after enduring the 8am scramble and the difficulty that they have in getting a GP appointment.

"I promised residents in Blackpool South that we would help bring back the family doctor and I’m delighted to see over 1,500 examples of Labour continuing to deliver on that promise."

The figures for the period between October 1 2024 and March 31 2025 show 270 extra GPs in the North West, including 39 in the Lancashire and South Cumbria area which includes Blackpool.

But Fylde coast residents say they continue to struggle to get doctor's appointments.

One person commenting on a Blackpool Gazette social media site said they had been told by their surgery that same day appointments were "reserved for those who have had an emergency".

Another commented: "I've been trying over a month to get an appointment" while others said the only solution would be to build more surgeries and hospitals to cope with the growing population.

However Labour says it is boosting funding for GPs with an extra £889m on top of the existing budget for general practice along with new reforms to free up GPs from red tape and box-ticking targets so they can spend more time caring for patients.