5400 people in Plymouth faced a wait of 28 days or more to see a GP in January, shocking new data from the NHS shows.

A further 12,608 people in Plymouth waited more than two weeks for a GP appointment in January.

I’m calling on Jeremy Hunt to back Labour’s plan to double medical school places and train 10,000 more nurses and midwives in his upcoming Budget.

Labour is also pledging to double the number of district nurses qualifying each year and provide 5,000 new health visitors. Labour’s total NHS workforce expansion package will be paid for by abolishing non-dom tax status, which allows some of the mega-rich to avoid paying tax in the UK.

Labour is also pledging to bring back the family doctor, so patients can see the same GP each appointment if they choose to.

People from Plymouth are finding it impossible to see a GP when they need to. Among those thousands waiting more than a month or not getting an appointment at all, there will be conditions going undiagnosed until it is too late.

Anyone who has had to rely on the NHS recently can see it is desperately short of staff. The NHS is backing Labour’s plan to double medical school places. Why isn’t the government?

Patients should be able to see the doctor they want, when they need to. Labour will get patients seen on time again.