It is unacceptable that some practices are still not allowing patients to book an advance appointment with a GP.

This means that in future the NHS will be able to map populations with these debilitating conditions with pinpoint accuracy. As the database builds up it will allow us to focus resources and plan services appropriately to help us tackle health inequalities. That means good news for NHS patients and good value for money for taxpayers.

We will make our system of checks more robust to ensure achievement of the target truly reflects the experience of patients across the country.

I congratulate GPs. The high scores show the new contract is proving successful in giving practices a real incentive to improve the quality of care for NHS patients and to provide a wide range of services locally.

This new system gives the NHS, for the first time ever, world-leading intelligence on chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

It is unacceptable that some practices are still not allowing patients to book an advance appointment with a GP,