GP appointment problems took centre stage for the new Government yesterday as the new Health Secretary placed them in her four priorities.

New Prime Minister Liz Truss, speaking to the country, also named appointments as a key NHS issue for her, stating: “I will make sure that people can get doctors’ appointments and the NHS services they need. We will put our health service on a firm footing”. The promise revives an issue that has been central to Conservative policies since 2010 – but has become tougher and tougher for the Government as GP numbers have declined.

British Medical Association chair Professor Philip Banfield responded on social media, adding to earlier comments on doctors’ pay and stating: “… welcome your commitment to making sure people can get doctor’s appointments and ensuring high paying jobs and rewarding hard work. That’s GPs and hospital Drs, who are leaving in droves. Work with us not against us to turn things around, please.”

The new Health Secretary Thérèse Coffey, also Deputy Prime Minister, gave civil servants her “ABCD” as she arrived in Whitehall with D standing for “doctors and dentistry”. A stood for ambulances, B for backlogs and C for care. She told journalists her priority was “how we can make best use of our departments and of course the NHS in order to achieve the best outcomes for them”.

The Times reports that she is likely to try to extend the use of pharmacists to take the pressure from practices. She is also examining the use of temporary buildings for use as surgical hubs and additional emergency department space. Dr Coffey has a PhD in chemistry from University College, London, and is reported to be a devout Roman Catholic.

Earlier Professor Banfield said: “Every day that the Government delays in acting to restore pay levels in the NHS, which have fallen dramatically since 2008, and sorting out broken pension rules will see morale continue to fall and drive more doctors out of the NHS. Dr Coffey takes office at a time of greater crisis in the NHS than any of her predecessors. Ahead of another perilous winter for our health service, she has a unique opportunity to change the trajectory of the NHS for the better. Staff feel overwhelmed and consistently let down by governments who had it in their power to really help them – and our patients. Enough is enough. Things must be different this time, and the Government must now work with the medical profession and its trade union to effect concrete change for the future of the NHS and its patients.”

NHS Confederation chief executive Matthew Taylor said: “Having gone through four health secretaries over the last five years, health leaders will hope this will signal a period of stability in this office and a razor-sharp focus on the challenges facing the NHS. Our new Prime Minister has set out the NHS as one of her top three priorities and so, alongside the coupling of the health secretary post with the deputy prime minister position, all eyes will be on whether we have a Government that finally delivers for the NHS and the communities it serves. This is crucial because our 23rd health secretary has inherited an NHS and social care system in a worst state than in living memory.”