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<p>Excluding COVID-19 vaccinations, there were an average of 1.24 million appointments
per working day in July 2022, compared to 1.17 million in July 2019. We have also
made £520 million available to improve access and expand general practice capacity
during the pandemic. To reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for general practitioners (GPs)
and increase capacity for appointments, we have expanded the range of healthcare professionals
who can sign fit notes and published seven principles to reduce unnecessary burdens
on GPs.</p><p>We are investing at least £1.5 billion to create an additional 50 million
general practice appointments by 2024 through increasing and diversifying the workforce.
General practice teams include a range of other health professionals in addition to
GPs, to respond to the needs of patients and we are on schedule to recruit an additional
26,000 primary care staff.</p>
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