Seven in ten people want to be able to see a GP urgently within 24 hours, according to research by the NHS patient watchdog.
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of voters in England support automatic access to a GP within one day of requesting an appointment for a health problem they believe cannot wait.
Healthwatch England urged ministers and NHS employers to respond to intense frustration over the long delays many people face when waiting for a GP by setting out in the NHS Constitution what kind of patients should be treated first there would ever be a guarantee of care by the GP within a certain time frame.
Currently, the most important rights granted to patients by the Constitution relate to hospital care. They include the right to undergo surgery within 18 weeks of referral, to be diagnosed with cancer within 28 days and to be treated by an A&E within four hours. However, due to the continued pressure on hospitals and chronic understaffing, these objectives are often not achieved.
Ministers last month unveiled plans to update the constitution and give patients new rights.
Louise Ansari, the chief executive of Healthwatch England, said that while many people were quick to see a GP, access to GPs was the biggest problem for patients. Delays left some so frustrated that they gave up trying to arrange a consultation, became even sicker and ended up in the Emergency Room. “Too often we hear about long waits in phone queues to book appointments and difficulties navigating online GP access tools,” she said.
She added: “It is not surprising that people want to see timely access to GPs as a new right in the NHS Constitution. In addition to improving access generally, the Constitution should reflect the widespread desire of patients to be able to get an urgent appointment with their GP within 24 hours.”
Polling agency Survation, on behalf of Healthwatch, asked 1,812 adults in England which new rights to NHS care they would most like. In response, 71% indicated that they would like to arrange an emergency appointment with their GP within 24 hours.
However, GP leaders rejected the idea as unworkable. The shortage of GPs, the closure of operating theaters and relentless demand meant GPs did not have enough time to offer an urgent appointment to everyone who wanted one, they said.
“The reality is that we do not have enough GPs to guarantee care for all patients within 24 hours of booking,” said Prof Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs. “The demand for our services would simply exceed capacity. Introducing mandates for practices to ensure all appointments are met within a certain time frame would only increase pressure on an already struggling service.”
Dr. Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of the British Medical Association’s GP committee, said GPs were keen to provide patients with the 24-hour access they want. But she said: “The sad truth is that we have lost more than 1,000 practices in the last decade, with almost 2,000 fewer full-time GPs than in 2015.”
The right to an urgent GP appointment is policy of the Liberal Democrats.
Ansari wants the NHS constitution to be renamed the ‘patient promise’ and for the health service to start a ‘national conversation’ about what access it is expected to provide.
“Ahead of the review of the NHS Constitution, we are asking the Government to ensure that one of the NHS commitments covers maximum waiting times at GP practices,” she said. “This would help restore public satisfaction with the NHS, which has fallen sharply in recent years, mainly due to frustration over delays in access to care.”
The survey also found that 68% of adults wanted to choose whether a GP appointment would take place in person, over the phone or on screen. It found that 58% wanted the NHS to provide a single point of contact about their care and 56% wanted to receive regular updates while waiting for care.
The Department of Health and Social Care made no immediate comment on the findings. But a spokesperson said: “Practices are required to let patients know how their request will be handled on the day they contact the practice, and patients should not be asked to call back at a later time.
“If an appointment is required, it should be offered within two weeks, and NHS guidance is clear that practices should take into account patients’ preferences regarding the method of appointment.”