Tories pledge new GP surgeries in community care boost

The National Pharmacy Association said the plan to extend the pharmacy scheme was an “affordable way to cut waiting times”.

But the association’s chief executive, Paul Rees, said community pharmacies were currently “chronically underfunded” and more investment to was needed to prevent closures and the system being “irreparably damaged”.

The Conservatives said 98% of pharmacies had signed up to the scheme and those already involved were receiving more funding.

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting accused the Conservatives of breaking their last manifesto promise to recruit more GPs.

He said: “Labour will train thousands more GPs and cut the red tape that ties up GPs time, so we can bring back the family doctor.”

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have pledged to tackle a “ticking time bomb” for the NHS with a funding boost for health checks.

The party’s manifesto will include a commitment to increase the Public Health Grant, which it says will help fund health checks for 40-74-year-olds, health visits for infants and their mothers, and wider access to blood pressure tests.

The grant provides funding to local authorities to spend on preventative services to improve public health.

Deputy leader Daisy Cooper said the policy would reverse the “scandalous” cuts made by the Conservatives since 2015.

“It is time to recognise that it is far cheaper to prevent ill health than to treat it,” she said.

The party said £1bn of investment in the grants per year would be funded through a crackdown on tax evasion.

The Lib Dems have already announced plans to boost GP numbers by 8,000 and give people the legal right to see a GP within seven days.