We can’t wait for the cure...

The disappointingly poor waiting times to see a GP are no surprise.

Most news emanating from the NHS comes coughing and wheezing into the public domain like an asthmatic bull elephant.

It’s almost never a welcome sight.

We are, as the statistics clearly suggest, waiting longer to see our GPs than we have in years.

What it means, however, is not revealed in the statistics.

We can assume things though.

If we are waiting longer to see a GP, we are clearly waiting longer to be diagnosed with whatever ails us.

Given we are constantly told early diagnosis for some conditions is vital to survival, that delay is a concern.

And if it is a concern, it’s a source of worry. The longer patients have to wait, the more anxious they become. That can’t be healthy.

But there is another concern that could result in more problems and increase inequality in the system.

Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, says the delays will see more and more people walking away from the NHS and seeking alternatives.

She reckons those who know how to navigate the system will be able to fight for appointments, while those will less of a voice founder.

GPs firefighting to cope with demand may also prioritise urgent health problems at the expense of those with long term and chronic illnesses, thereby storing up issues for the future.

The symptoms of the issue are all too clear to see. The treatment, however, is not so easy to administer.

Whatever the government’s solution, we are waiting to long to receive it.