Ailing NHS gets more complaints than EVER before amid never-ending battle to get GP and dentist appointment

The number of complaints to the NHS about GPs and dental care has reached a record high as patients struggle to get appointments, official figures show.

There were 125,584 complaints about primary care – including GPs and dentists – in 2022/2023, more than double the 52,703 complaints ten years ago.

Of the 112,189 complaints about GPs, 23,567 related to waiting times for an appointment, not being able to get one, or the duration of consultations.

Other complaints included patients unhappy that their doctor had refused to refer them for scans or to a consultant; had refused them a prescription; or misdiagnosed.

There were 16,087 complaints about dentists last year – a third more in five years.

There were 125,584 complaints about primary care – including GPs and dentists – in 2022/2023, more than double the 52,703 complaints ten years ago. The number of first-line complaints also increased by 4.6 percent in one year and one in three complaints (32 percent) was fully honored. However, complaints about hospital and community health services fell by 1.5 per cent compared to 2021/2022, with 27.6 per cent confirmed

NHS Digital data published today shows that 39.6 per cent of all GP appointments in England in September took place on the same day the patient called seeking help. Patients can specifically request an appointment on a certain date in the future

Here too, patients were often dissatisfied with the difficulties they encountered in reaching a dentist or with the quality of care they received once they were in the chair.

It follows reports of patients having to carry out ‘DIY dentistry’, including extracting their own teeth, because they were unable to register with an NHS dentist.

Figures published today by NHS Digital show that separate new data from the same organization shows the number of fully qualified, full-time equivalent GPs has fallen by 254 in a year.

The number of first-line complaints increased by 4.6 percent in one year and one in three complaints (32 percent) was fully justified.

However, complaints about hospital and community health services fell by 1.5 per cent compared to 2021/2022, with 27.6 per cent maintained.

The majority of new health complaints in hospitals and communities were related to poor communication, accounting for 16.6 percent.

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, President of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘It is sad and worrying to hear that GPs have received an increased number of complaints due to difficult access – our patients should be able to see a GP when they need one and we share their frustration as they struggle to get appointments.

‘The unfortunate reality is that our hard-working and dedicated GPs are often the ‘fall men’ due to the government’s inability to appropriately fund and finance primary care.’

Eddie Crouch, chairman of the British Dental Association, said: ‘It is no surprise that complaints are piling up in NHS dentistry, but these access problems were created in Westminster and that is where the fault lies.

“Things will go from bad to worse unless ministers implement reforms and investment.”

Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said: ‘Every day thousands of people across the country struggle to make an appointment with their GP or dentist.’

An NHS spokesperson said: ‘Staff across the NHS are working hard to meet increased demand, with GPs making half a million more appointments every week compared to pre-pandemic, while NHS dentists will make 32.5 appointments in 2022/2023. million treatment courses – an increase of almost a quarter since last year.

‘In line with our commitment to restore access to primary care, the NHS published a plan earlier this year, which includes upgrading telephone systems to make it easier for people to contact their GP practice, while since In 2019, more than 31,000 additional employees joined GP teams. to realize even more agreements.’

Dr. David Wrigley, deputy chairman of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said: ‘GPs want to see our patients as quickly as possible, but despite our best efforts, we are currently experiencing the consequences of more than a decade of neglect in general practice.

‘It is no coincidence that complaints have increased during this time, as patients understandably become increasingly frustrated with the availability of appointments.

‘The government has failed to adequately fund general practice and has consistently adopted an approach that ignores the issue of retention.

‘The NHS has lost the equivalent of 2,062 full-time fully qualified GPs since 2015 and we now have far too few GPs caring for larger numbers of patients, while the patient profile in England is changing as people live longer and manage increasingly complex conditions. ‘