DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW ...FOR 5 MINS
Overstretched GPs forced to cram in patients
MILLIONS of GP appointments now last less than five minutes.
One in six patients are rushed through in between one and five minutes by a shrinking number of GPs who are overstretched.
Despite promising to recruit 5,000 more GPs in their 2015 manifesto and 6,000 more in their 2019 manifesto, there are 2,000 fewer full-time, fully trained GPs today than in 2015.
Each GP is having to look after an extra 348 patients, on average, than in 2015. This means GPs are having to spend less time with patients who are increasingly turning up with complex health problems.
Analysis by the House of Commons Library looked at NHS figures last year to provide the first data on fiveminute appointments broken down by region.
The proportion of all appointments lasting one to five minutes in England ranged from 16% in February to 21% last October.
The Lib Dems, who commissioned the study, warn patients are “waiting for weeks to get an appointment only to be rushed through in minutes”. Health spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “Many patients need time to properly talk through their symptoms with a GP, especially when they have complex health problems. “But the Government’s failure to recruit the extra GPs they promised means doctors are forced to cram in more and more short appointments.” From March 2022 to February 2023 there were 51 million five-minute appointments, 17.2% of all bookings. In many areas a fifth of appointments took less than five minutes. West Suffolk, constituency of ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock, had the highest rate of appointments under five minutes, at 21.8%.
The Royal College of General Practice blamed “years of underfunding and inadequate workforce planning”.
It wants GP appointments to be at least 15 minutes by 2030.
The Office for National Statistics found 10 million people gave up on getting an appointment last month.
Of these, 56% blamed long waiting times and 26% were unable to get through to a practice.
The Lib Dems have urged the Government to hire 8,000 more GPs. The Department of Health said: “We are making progress in improving access towards ensuring patients who need an appointment are seen within two weeks, and those with urgent needs are seen on the same day.”
Patients need time to discuss their symptoms properly
DAISY COOPER LIB DEM HEALTH SPOKESPERSON