Sorry... the doctor won’t see you now

More than half of appointments are on the phone

PATIENTS are struggling to get face-to-face GP appointments as more than half of consultations take place by phone.

Critics say that trying to see a family doctor is now ‘a lottery’ as satisfaction with GPs plummets.

It comes as the vast majority of patients said in a national survey that they had no choice on whether they were able to see their doctor in person.

The Covid pandemic led to GP surgeries replacing face-to-face appointments with emails and phone calls. That trend is set to continue amid rising numbers of patients and GP shortages.

Scottish Tory health spokesman Dr Sandesh Gulhane said: ‘These are concerning figures, but let’s be clear: the blame for them lies squarely with the SNP Government, rather than our overstretched GPs.

‘As a GP myself, I’m acutely aware of the chronic shortfall in numbers across Scotland but especially in rural and remote areas. This is a direct result of the SNP’s appalling NHS workforce planning.’

The Health and Care Experience Survey, 2021-22, asked 130,000 patients about their experiences at local medical practices.

The proportion of patients expressing satisfaction with the overall care provided by GP practices has dropped from 85 per cent to 67 per cent since 2014.

When the first survey took place in 2009-10, 90 per cent rated their experience of GP practices positively. In the latest study, only 48 per cent said their practice let them make an appointment more than three working days in advance, compared with 77 per cent in 2014.

The number saying their most recent appointment was face-toface has plummeted from 87 per cent in 2019-20 to 37 per cent.

Phone appointments soared from 11 per cent to 57 per cent, while only 17 per cent said they were offered a choice of the kind of appointment they wanted. Dr Andrew Buist, chairman of the British Medical Association’s Scottish GP committee, said: ‘Surgeries are doing everything they can to provide the best possible care for patients.

‘Demand for appointments is outstripping capacity. There must be real focus on supporting GPs to cope with the challenges that they face.’

The survey also reinforced concerns about challenges in social care, with around one in five indicating that they had no say in how their care was provided.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: ‘Fifteen years of SNP misrule has been a disaster for local healthcare... even getting to see a GP or a mental health worker can feel like a lottery.’

A Government spokesman said: ‘Although the majority of people who responded to the survey reported an overall positive experience accessing primary care, we know that more can always be done to improve services.

‘It’s important to note that this survey was conducted during the heights of the Covid-19 pandemic, which had a huge impact on GPs and primary care.’

‘SNP misrule has been a disaster’