The health secretary has announced a £250million NHS fund to “help GPs see more people face to face and more promptly”.

Sajid Javid told Sky News it is new money secured during recent spending round negotiations, in recognition of the fact that patients want to be seen “in the way they choose”.

He declined to say whether it is his intention that 80% of appointments be in-person as they were pre-pandemic, compared to 58% in the latest monthly statistics.

He concedes more GPs are needed – and that means more money – but the NHS England plan, under new chief executive Amanda Pritchard, is also trying to offload paperwork such as sick notes to admin staff and empower pharmacists to treat minor ailments.

GP shortages are not new, and success in increasing numbers has eluded ministers for many years. David Cameron promised to train 5,000 more doctors by 2020 – in fact numbers fell.

Boris Johnson’s 2019 promise to train 6,000 more GPs by 2024 and make 50 million more appointments available, triggered familiar sighs among those on the frontline, although medical school admissions are up.

Surveys repeatedly show it is not just convincing junior doctors to choose general practice, but retention of existing GPs in the face of stress and burnout.

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The effect is unequal, with Sky News data today showing that in areas such as Blackburn with Darwen there are some 2,800 patients per GP – hundreds more than in wealthier areas – although people in more deprived areas often have the greatest health needs.

Much of the new money will go towards getting in locums to increase numbers of appointments. But critics complain this is a short-term fix. Doctors’ union, the BMA, say the preoccupation with in-person appointments will in fact increase pressure on GPs and convince more of them to “hang up their stethoscopes”.

A difficult winter is predicted for the NHS – facing a double whammy of flu and Covid admissions, the long backlog on waiting lists for other treatments and staff burnout.

The health secretary says improving GP care – the front door to the NHS – is part of the “levelling up” agenda, but showing results by the next election is likely to be a major challenge.

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