"Our Plan for Patients will make it easier to get a general practice appointment and we will work tirelessly to deliver that," Coffey said. Coffey said she would build on an NHS plan to boost its capacity for winter, set out in August, adding she had an A, B, C and D of priorities - ambulances, backlogs, care and doctors and dentists. She also said that the million volunteers who stepped forward during the pandemic should do so again. Amanda Pritchard, NHS chief executive, welcomed the plan but said a strategy for recruiting more staff would also be needed. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Alistair Smout, Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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