An MP raised concerns from residents about their local GP service during a visit to a surgery in Buckinghamshire. 

Joy Morrissey MP visited the Marlow Medical Group's GP surgery on Victoria Road this week after residents in the town raised "issues and concerns" about their local healthcare service.

Ms Morrissey, who is the Member of Parliament for Marlow and Beaconsfield, met with the managing director of the group, Dr Penny Macdonald, to discuss how changes could be made at the practice to better deliver "the healthcare that the people of Marlow deserve".

Speaking to the Free Press, she described increasing access to GP appointments across her constituency as an "important priority".

Adding: "It was great to meet with the Marlow GP surgery team, discuss the feedback I have had from residents and hear about the improvements they have been making at the surgery to improve access.

"I am also pleased to see the rollout of the new Pharmacy First initiative, where people can get help for seven common conditions without a GP prescription. This will also free up thousands of GP appointments locally.

"I am hopeful that both of these steps will now (help) residents to find seeing their GP much easier, and I will continue to work with all local surgeries across Beaconsfield, Marlow and the South Bucks villages."

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The Marlow Medical Group, which also has branches in Lane End and Hambledon, recently published statistics revealing that over 37,000 patients across the practice failed to attend their booked appointments throughout 2023.

Speaking last autumn, Julie Warren, 64, a patient at the Marlow surgery, said she did not believe criticism should be levied at the practice itself, nor its staff, regarding the number of missed appointments.

She told the Free Press: "My daughter-in-law works in a local surgery, and I have friends and family in other areas (of the UK) who are experiencing almost identical problems.

"In my experience, you can (always) get through to someone who will help you (in Marlow), which is the most important thing.

"I wish people would wake up and see that we're being conditioned to blame our local surgeries when the real problems go much further than that."