1 in 5 can’t get in to see a GP when they want
MILLIONS of patients are struggling to see their GP as surgeries are not open at a convenient time.
Nearly one in five people said they cannot easily make the appointment times offered, a survey has revealed – despite promises that family doctors would extend their hours to evenings and weekends.
The number of patients who are ‘fairly or very dissatisfied’ with the opening hours at their surgery has risen by two million, or some 43 per cent, in the past three years alone, jumping from 3.7million in 2012 to 5.3million, the latest GP Patient Survey found.
And a quarter of patients are now waiting more than a week to see their GP.
Labour, which obtained the data, said it shows the failure of the Conservatives to deliver on their promise to introduce a seven day a week service.
They said that this is piling pressure on emergency departments as patients who cannot get a GP appointment go to A&E instead.
David Cameron promised in his party’s manifesto at the last election in 2010: ‘We will ensure that every patient can access a GP in their area between 8am and 8pm, seven days a week’.
But a survey by the Daily Mail last year revealed millions of patients wait three weeks to see their GP, and only one in three now manages to secure a same day appointment.
GPs have spoken out about their struggle to meet demand. Maureen Baker, of the Royal College of GPs, said last week: ‘ GPs are facing unprecedented pressures in trying to care for increasing numbers of patients with increasingly limited resources. We believe that the way to best improve patient care and keep the NHS sustainable is to invest properly in general practice and to ensure that we have enough GPs to cope with the demand of our growing and ageing population.’
She has previously warned that ‘we do worry on patient safety grounds that access is becoming more of a problem’, as the delays to seeing patients can lead to late diagnoses of deadly illnesses such as cancer.
The Labour party says it will open 8,000 more GP surgeries and extend surgeries’ opening hours if it wins office. But critics accused Labour of botching negotiations of the GP contract in 2004, causing a drop in out-of-hours cover from GPs and forcing patients to attend crowded A&Es instead.
Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham will say today: ‘One of Cameron’s first acts as Prime Minister was to scrap Labour’s guarantee of an appointment within 48 hours and our extended opening scheme. On his watch, millions more patients are unhappy with their surgery opening hours.’
‘Growing population’