Almost one in 10 facing waits longer than three weeks to see their GP
ALMOST one in ten people who booked appointments with northern Lincolnshire GPs faced waits of more than three weeks in February. NHS figures showed 9.7 per cent of people who booked GP appointments waited longer than 22 days to be seen, higher than the national average of 8.8 per cent.
A Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) spokesperson said primary care was under tremendous pressure.
Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England’s primary care director, said GPs were working hard to reduce waits for appointments but there was more to do.
The Humber and North Yorkshire ICB’s GP waits were the 18th highest out of all 42 boards in England. The percentage of people who saw its GPs, including those in northern Lincolnshire, in less than a week was 67.7, the 25th highest.
The figures for the local ICB compare to Gloucestershire’s 16.6 per cent of appointments, which took place after 22 days, the highest in England.
It was followed by 14.1 per cent in Dorset, 14 per cent in Norfolk, 13.9 in Derby and Derbyshire and 13.6 in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. North Central London was the ICB with the lowest percentage of appointments, which took place after 22 days with 3.2 per cent. The next three lowest ICBs were all in London. A total of 30.4m GP appointments took place across the NHS in England in February. Less than half of those, 43.5 per cent took place on the same day of booking.
That’s down from 44.7 per cent in January and 45.7 per cent in December, but is similar to the 44 per cent in February last year and the 43.2 per cent from September 2021, when records first began.
A total of 2.7m patients had to wait
more than 22 days from the time they booked the appointment to it taking place.
February’s 8.8 per cent was an improvement on 9.5 per cent of appointments in January, and is down from 13.4 per cent in October, which was a record high.
The Humber and North Yorkshire ICB spokesperson said it was on track for 85 per cent of patients to be seen within two weeks of contacting their practice.
The spokesperson said: “Primary
care, like many parts of the NHS, is under tremendous pressure. “GP practices face a growing and increasingly complex workload and are working harder than ever before as a result.
“Our practices continue to support urgent demand with 40 per cent of patients being seen on the same day.
“Within primacy care there are experienced teams of healthcare professionals working in a number of different roles alongside GPs.
“By providing the receptionist with some basic information about a health complaint or condition, people who need to see their family doctor will be prioritised.
“This also means those who would be better seen by other staff such as physiotherapists or mental health specialists can do so more quickly. People can now also get treatment for seven common conditions directly from their local pharmacy, without the need for a GP appointment or prescription.”
NHS England’s Dr Doyle said the NHS was meeting its targets for appointment waiting times.
The primary care director said: “Hard working GPs and their teams are making tremendous progress across the country. But we know there is more to do, that’s why the NHS is implementing the major plan we announced last year to improve access to GP services, which includes upgrading telephone systems to make it easier for patients to contact their surgery, and we’ve boosted the workforce with an additional 36,000 staff joining GP teams since 2019, all helping to deliver even more appointments.” Primary Care Minister Andrea Leadsom said the Government was determined to make the healthcare system faster for all patients. The minister said: “We are now delivering significantly more appointments per working day compared to the same time last year.
“We are committed to ensuring that everyone who needs an appointment is able to get one, and our primary care recovery plan demonstrates how we will deliver for all patients who use our fantastic NHS.
“Our goals are clear, and we have already delivered on a number of pledges – including exceeding our target of 50 million additional general practice appointments per year, several months ahead of schedule.”
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