More patients than ever before are having to wait at least a month to see their GP, shock data shows.
NHS statistics show that 17.6 million appointments taking place in England in 2023 were booked a month earlier – or one in twenty.
It marks a rise of more than a third in the space of a year, illustrating the terrible crisis that has seen disgruntled patients abandon NHS operations and instead go private or visit flooded emergency rooms.
Campaigners warn that the delays, fueled by a shortage of GPs, are putting patients at risk of serious illness being diagnosed late or missed altogether.
The Liberal Democrats today warned that the NHS is on ‘its knees’ and patients will have to pay the price.
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Across England, 347.9 million GP appointments were held last year, a six per cent increase on the 328.4 million in 2022, according to its analysis.
The number of patients waiting longer than two weeks to be seen has also increased.
Nearly a fifth of appointments (17.5 percent) were booked fourteen days in advance, an increase from 15.2 percent in 2022.
Waiting times of four weeks accounted for 3.9 percent of all appointments in 2022. In 2023 this increased to 5.1 percent.
The share of same-day appointments has meanwhile fallen compared to the previous year: 43.9 percent reported in 2022, compared to 43 percent in 2023.
The latest monthly data from the NHS shows that there were 25.8 million GP appointments in December.
Nearly half occurred on the same day (45.7 percent), a slight increase compared to the previous month.
More than a quarter (29 percent) had to wait longer than a week.
The data for England also showed that two-thirds (66.6 percent) of GP consultations were face-to-face.
LibDem leader Ed Davey said: ‘Patients across the country are in a desperate position.
‘It has become common to struggle day in and day out to get a GP appointment, causing people to experience pain and discomfort.
‘What this Conservative government has done to our NHS is nothing short of disgraceful.
‘They have brought the health service to its knees and it is the patients and their loved ones who are paying the price for this neglect by the Conservative party.
‘It should be a given that people can see their GP when they need to, not a struggle.
‘That’s why the Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal right for all patients to see their GP within seven days and 24 hours if they urgently need to do so.’
NHS England argued that 2 million more GP appointments are now being made every month compared to pre-pandemic.
Dr. Amanda Doyle, NHS England national director for primary care and community services, said: ‘The NHS published a plan last year to improve access to GP services, including upgrading telephone systems to make it easier for people to get in touch with their general practice, while more Since 2019, more than 36,000 additional employees have joined the GP teams to be able to make even more appointments.
‘This is incredible progress from hardworking teams across the country and we are determined to make it easier to access services around people’s busy lives, so if you are concerned about your health, please come forward to concern.’
GPs, who earn an average six-figure salary, have reported having to cram in up to 90 appointments a day, in a situation similar to that of an assembly line.
The BMA recommends that GPs should make no more than 25 appointments per day to ensure safe care.
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The latest NHS statistics show that there were just under 27,500 fully qualified GPs working across England in December.
This is just under 2,000 fewer than the number recorded in the same month in 2016.
This is despite the fact that the population has grown by approximately 2 million over the same period.
Many GPs retire in their 50s, move abroad or go private due to rising demand, NHS paperwork and aggressive media attention.
This has led to an appointment crisis in GP practices, with patients forced to endure the 8am battle. Others are forced to complete an online e-consult to reach their practice.
GPs also say they are overwhelmed by the pressure of a rising and aging population and a lack of government funding.
Ministers have also quietly abandoned a promise to hire a further 6,000 GPs, which was a key part of Boris Johnson’s election-winning manifesto.