GP numbers drop in Sunak's back yard as he faces private healthcare questions
The number of NHS GPs in Rishi Sunak’s backyard has dropped over the past six years - as the Prime Minister refuses to say whether he uses private healthcare.
Research by the Lib Dems discovered there were 247 fully-qualified family doctors in North Yorkshire - where Mr Sunak is the MP for Richmond - in December 2016.
But by November the total had dipped to 239.
That meant the remaining doctors were dealing with more patients, with the average number per GP rising from 1,719 at the end of 2016 to 1,827 by last March.
The figures, unearthed from NHS data, come as the PM stands accused of failing to “come clean” over whether he uses private healthcare.
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The number of GPs in North Yorkshire fell between 2016 and last year, according to research by the Lib Dems (Getty Images)Reports suggest he is registered with a private GP in West London which guarantees all patients with urgent concerns about their health will be seen “on the day”.
The clinic charges £250 for a half-hour consultation and offers evening and weekend appointments.
Lib Dem health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said: “The public deserve a fully functioning NHS, not one that has been run into the ground for years.
"Rishi Sunak needs to come clean with the public over whether he uses private healthcare or not.
“He seems to be totally out of touch with the struggles people in his own constituency, let alone across the country, are facing when it comes to accessing a GP.”
No10 was contacted for comment.
Lib Dem health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper (PA)Mr Sunak, who has repeatedly ducked saying whether he has private healthcare, is expected to come under renewed pressure to be honest about his situation when he appears in the Commons for Prime Minister’s Questions at noon.
The PM has claimed his own healthcare was “not really relevant” and a “distraction” from his attempts to bolster the crisis-hit NHS.
“As a general policy I wouldn’t ever talk about me or my family’s healthcare situation,” he told the BBC.
“But it’s not really relevant - what’s relevant is the difference I can make to the country.”
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Insisting healthcare was a “private” matter, Mr Sunak said questions about his situation were “a distraction from what the real issue is, and the real issue is are we making sure there’s high-quality healthcare for the country”.
Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen this week blasted his silence, saying: “I think as a public servant, you ought to be clear with the public whether or not you are using private health cover.
Royal College of Nursing general secretary Pat Cullen (PA)“That’s about being open, it’s about being transparent, and it’s about honesty. I think he needed to come clean.
“As a public servant he is elected by the public, so he is accountable to the public, and when you’re accountable to the public, you have to be honest with them.”
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