Thousands of sick Britons are booking private GP appointments rather than relying on the NHS after hundreds of surgeries are closed, figures suggest.
Independent healthcare providers have reported a surge in demand since the start of the pandemic, with patients reporting difficulties getting an appointment during the 8am rush and a lack of face-to-face consultation with their NHS clinic .
Top doctors have warned that general practice is at risk of following dentistry, leaving only those who can access quality care for a fee.
It comes as data today revealed that more than 1,000 practices have closed since 2015, meaning the remaining practices have tougher lists and many rural patients have to travel further for an appointment.
Patient satisfaction with family medicine has fallen to its lowest level in four decades, with patients complaining that it takes too long to get an appointment.
The data was collected on behalf of Spire Healthcare, which has nearly 4,000 consultants and 38 private hospitals in the UK. The latest results show that the number of appointments with GPs increased by 39 percent last year
A survey of 2,000 Britons, by Focaldata, shows that the majority (54 per cent) said they had difficulty booking an in-person consultation with a GP, while almost half (45 per cent) said they had difficulty booking a to make an appointment by telephone
A survey of 2,000 Britons by Focaldata shows that a third (32 per cent) of adults have had an appointment with a private GP in the past three years.
Of this group, six in ten had booked more than one private appointment during this period, which can cost between £80 and £250.
Overall, more than half of respondents (53 percent) said they would consider going private for a GP appointment.
The majority (54 percent) reported difficulty booking an in-person consultation with a GP, while nearly half (45 percent) said they struggled to get an appointment over the phone.
Of those who needed an appointment in the past six months, one in four (24 percent) were unable to book one.
Most said the call was due to being seen quickly and because it was easier to get an appointment and see a GP in person if they went private.
The data was collected on behalf of Spire Healthcare, which has nearly 4,000 consultants and 38 private hospitals in the UK.
The latest results show that the number of appointments with GPs increased by 39 percent last year.
It says lack of access to GPs, including face-to-face appointments, is becoming a ‘growing problem’ for patients and expects private sector demand to remain strong.
Public satisfaction with GPs is at its lowest since measurements began in 1983, with more than four in ten Britons saying they are dissatisfied, according to the British Social Attitudes survey.
Dr. Jeremy Cohen, a GP who works within the NHS and at Spire’s clinic in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, said: ‘Most patients seen at Spire Healthcare seem to prefer to be seen in private because of both the speed of access as the longer appointment time.
“During the pandemic, I interacted with many patients who just desperately wanted to see a doctor, but whose concerns were not deemed urgent.
“After the pandemic, I now see a wide range of private patients, some of whom require ongoing care for chronic illnesses, some who come for a one-time problem and others who come for a one-time consultation and then stay for the duration of their treatment.
‘Meanwhile, the main benefit of private care, in my view, is the time available to discuss a person’s medical concerns and my recommendations in depth, which is often not feasible with the length of an NHS GP appointment, especially when it comes to a complex issue.’
Carl Caswell, a company director from Hertfordshire, mainly sees an NHS GP, but has occasionally used a private GP through Spire Harpenden Hospital.
He said: ‘With my most recent medical care it took several days to reach the reception of my local NHS GP and I couldn’t get an appointment until three weeks later.
There were just 27,558 full-time equivalent fully qualified GPs employed in England last month, 1.6 per cent fewer than the 18,000 registered in June 2021. It was 5.3 per cent fewer than the more than 29,000 employed in June 2017
More than a third of patients did not have access to a GP when they needed one in the past year, a MailOnline survey in January found. The poll of 1,500 Britons found 34 per cent said they couldn’t get an appointment with their local doctor or other NHS services when they tried to do so in 2022.
GPs now account for just a quarter of primary care staff, outnumbered 2-to-1 by administrative staff, of which more than half are receptionists, according to NHS data
‘I decided to contact Spiers’ private GP service in Harpenden and was able to get an appointment that same week, which led to the discovery that I had diabetes after a blood test.
‘I particularly appreciate the accessibility and personality of private GP services. It gives them time to discuss my concerns with me at length and understand my feelings.
‘The NHS is still my first port of call. But for urgent matters, I’m lucky enough to be able to use Spire’s services if I need to get something done urgently.’
It comes as data shows that 2.8 million patients in England have been forced to find a new doctor after their GP practice closed.
The figures, obtained by Labor via a Freedom of Information Request, show that there are 1,200 fewer practices today than in 2015 and that 2,000 GPs have been made redundant in the same time.
As a result, the number of patients per practice increased from 7,465 in 2015 to 9,722 in February, meaning that each remaining practice had to admit an additional 2,257 patients on average.
People in rural areas often have to register with practices miles from where they live, Labor said.
Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that a quarter of Britons couldn’t get an appointment when they last tried, while three in ten struggled to contact their GP and over a third had a telephone consultation was offered if they wanted a personal conversation. face appointment.
Separate figures from Unison show that the NHS spends more than £1 million a week hiring private ambulances to attend emergency calls.
Shadow Secretary Wes Streeting said: ‘Patients are finding it impossible to get a GP appointment when they need it, thanks to the Conservatives’ failure to train enough doctors.
“Practices are closing shops across the country, forcing people to travel miles to be seen and overburdening GPs.
Labor will train 15,000 doctors annually so that patients can be seen on time again, paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax status. We bring the GP back and make sure that patients can easily make an appointment to see the doctor they want, the way they choose.’
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: ‘We are making real progress in getting patients to their GP quickly, with almost two million more GP appointments compared to this time last year – that’s 100,000 more appointments per working day.
“We are also boosting the GP workforce, with hundreds more doctors in GP practice than last year, record numbers in training and we are close to meeting our goal of providing an additional 26,000 primary care staff to support GPs and patients, including pharmacists and physiotherapists. ‘