Patients could find it even harder to see a GP after Labour’s National Insurance increase, health leaders have warned

Patients could find it harder to see their GP due to the rise in national insurance – with 5 million people a month already unable to do so, health leaders have warned.

Doctors say they will be forced to cut staff if they are not exempt from the tax grab, which is expected to cost practices around £40,000.

A new analysis from the House of Commons Library shows that a quarter of people who contacted their GP in the past month were unable to reach them on the day they called.

The research, based on a survey by the Office for National Statistics, found that 22.4 million people tried to contact their GP in the last 28 days.

Of these, 5.2 million people were unable to reach their GP on the day they called, meaning that almost one in four people who wanted to reach their GP were unable to do so.

The research, based on a survey by the Office for National Statistics, found that 22.4 million people tried to contact their GP in the last 28 days (stock photo)

According to the Library’s research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, a further 1.2 million people failed to contact their GP that month.

The party is joining GPs in demanding that GPs be exempt from the increase in employer contributions, warning it is a ‘tax on community care’.

Dentists, pharmacists, social care providers and charities have also expressed fears that Rachel Reeves’ increase from 13.8 per cent to 15 per cent could force them to close.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat health and social care spokesperson, said: ‘Millions of people across the country are already struggling to get a doctor’s appointment, as the Government’s tax rises threaten to worsen the GP crisis even further.

‘This is a burden on community care that will hit GPs, dentists and care homes, making it even harder for them to employ enough staff and deliver the care that local people so desperately need.

‘Some are even at risk of having to close completely, leaving local patients to pay the price.’

Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, which campaigns for older patients, said he is ‘extremely concerned’ that the NI rise could make it harder to get an appointment.

He added: ‘If the government is unable to find the money to reimburse or exempt GPs from these tax increases, this could have very serious consequences for patients.

New analysis from the House of Commons Library shows that a quarter of people who contacted their GP in the past month were unable to get through on the day they called (stock photo)

The Liberal Democrats are joining GPs in demanding that GPs be exempt from the increase in employer contributions, warning it is a ‘tax on community care’.

‘GP practices will face high bills and may have to cut back on staff, making an already bad situation worse.’

Dr. David Wrigley, vice-chairman of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said: ‘The number of patients struggling to see their GP is disappointing and not surprising given a significant shortage of GPs on the frontline.

‘More than ten years of cuts to public services have brought general medicine to its knees.

‘The Chancellor’s plan to expand National Insurance for employers will place a huge additional burden on practices that are already operating on the tightest margins and trying to remain financially viable.

‘If the government decides to continue by not covering these higher costs for practices, as previous governments have done, this will lead to difficult decisions for practices that will force us to cut back on the services we provide.’

Dr. Richard West, whose practice serves 16,000 patients in rural Suffolk, said: ‘Our accountants have calculated that the practice will incur additional costs of 140,000 from April.

‘This includes costs associated with the increase in employers’ NICs and the living wage. This equates to a number of senior clinical staff.”

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, president of the Royal College of GPs, said on Friday that many GP practices were ‘already struggling to keep their doors open and make ends meet’.

She added: ‘For some, this additional financial burden will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, forcing them to make difficult decisions about redundancies or even closing their practice, and ultimately it will be our patients who will suffer become.’

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Finance were contacted for comment.