Thousands forced to wait 2 weeks to see their GP
175,000 delayed in one month
AROUND 175,000 people were made to wait more than two weeks for a GP appointment in the West Midlands during September, figures have revealed.
Around one in eight of all appointments in the region did not take place until more than a fortnight after they were booked.
It shows thousands of people are still facing huge difficulties getting quick doctors appointments.
In Birmingham and Solihull during September 89,915 appointments took place more than 14 days after they were booked – 12.8% of all appointments.
There were another 86,877 in the Black Country, which was 15.1% of all appointments that month.
Access to doctors has been among the main concerns of people in the region over the last couple of years and many are still being kept waiting.
It comes at the start of the busy winter season when pressure on health services will only ramp up, potentially more so this year given twin concerns over Covid and the flu.
Helen Morgan, the Lib Dem MP for North Shropshire, labelled the latest figures “worrying”.
She added: “Doctors are working hard but are being swamped by demand due to the pressure on every section of the NHS. Meanwhile. patients are forced to put up with anxious waits for checks on all sorts of symptoms.
“Many are being seen far too late.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently ditched his leadership campaign pledge to fine patients £10 for missing GP appointments, something many experts believed could free up thousands of crucial slots.
He previously insisted it was “wrong” that there were “15 million missed appointments every year” but pushback from some health leaders forced the PM to change his mind.
A Downing Street spokesman said last month: “We have listened to GPs and health leaders and have acknowledged that now is not the right time to take this policy forward.”
Patients are forced to put up with anxious waits for checks on all sorts of symptoms. Many are being seen far too late.
Helen Morgan MP