Sarah Gibson

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend and will come to that point. The biggest concern for staff is patient safety, which they have clearly highlighted to us. One Chippenham resident told me they waited an hour to get through to the single point of access, only to be told to expect a callback, which did not arrive until the following day. A constituent from Calne described spending a week making calls, leaving messages and sending emails simply to secure a podiatry appointment. I understand that, in the end, he was so desperate that he just went into the offices, but not everyone can do that. I appreciate that the integrated care board, the commissioner, has the single point of access under surveillance. But as I will return to later, being under surveillance is just not enough for our residents. Many of the concerns raised with me have come not only from patients but from staff. I have heard concerns about growing caseloads, vacancies, the loss of experienced staff and, as my hon. Friend the Member for Melksham and Devizes (Brian Mathew) mentioned, the reduction of administrative support. One nurse reported that what had previously been 10 visits per day had increased to approximately 15. Another described seeing 14 patients during a shift that overran by 90 minutes. Staff speak of chronic understaffing, excessive workloads, and concerns about the impact that the pressures are having on patients and the workforce.