- GP wait times to exceed 17.6 million
- Liberal Democrats call for GP service investment
- Government plans reforms but faces criticism
According to data, the number of long wait times for appointments will exceed 17.6 million this year.
A record number of GP appointments will have four-week wait times this year, according to new data.
According to the Liberal Democrats’ study of NHS data, there were 10.3 million delays of four weeks or more for a GP appointment in the seven months to July.
This is 1.7 million more than the same period last year, when 8.6 million appointments had a four-week wait.
If this year’s figure remains consistent, it will surpass last year’s record of 17.6 million four-week delays.
According to NHS figures, nearly one out of every ten GP appointments have had four-week or longer wait times this year.
Gloucestershire has the most significant number of four-week waits in the UK, with 10.1% of GP appointments falling into this category.
Derby, Derbyshire Glossop, Dorset, Chorley, and South Ribble follow, all with 9% or more of patients waiting more than four weeks for a GP appointment.
This is almost double the national average of 5%.
The Liberal Democrats are urging the government to enhance money for the NHS, especially GP services, when the chancellor presents her autumn budget on October 30.
However, Sir Keir Starmer stated earlier this week that the NHS would only receive additional funds once reforms were implemented as part of a 10-year plan to improve the health service.
Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, said that the NHS cannot “withstand that approach”.
“It needs the investment up front as well as reform,” he told me.
He claimed that the Conservatives “reneged” on social care reform and that “Labour doesn’t seem to be grasping” it.
The Liberal Democrats want everyone to have the legal entitlement to a GP appointment within a week or 24 hours if they are in urgent need.
That would require an additional 8,000 general practitioners.
Sir Ed stated, “Everyone should be able to see a doctor when they need one, but the Conservative Party harmed the NHS so badly that millions of people are waiting weeks for an appointment.”
“That is why the Liberal Democrats are pushing for everyone to have the right to see a GP within seven days, or 24 hours if it is an emergency, and we are urging the government to increase GP numbers to make it a reality.
“Resolving the GP issue is vital to saving the NHS. If patients can be seen more quickly, they will be less likely to end up in the hospital. That is better for them, the NHS, and the taxpayers.
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Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader, is set to tackle the NHS during her keynote speech at the party’s conference on Monday.
She will say, “You don’t have freedom if you’re on a waiting list for so long that your world shrinks and you’re stuck hobbling around your house between two rooms.
Decent health and care services are the bedrock of a liberal society.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman stated, “The NHS is broken. These data highlight how much general practice has been neglected. This government will address this issue by changing the focus of healthcare away from hospitals and toward communities.
“We have committed to hiring an additional 1,000 GPs for the NHS by the end of the year.” In addition, we gave an additional £311 million in funding for GP contracts in 24/25, representing a 7.4% increase. We will also guarantee that GPs have the resources they require to provide patients with the best possible care.”
