More of us forced to take time off work for doctor’s appointment as number of GPS falls

RISING numbers of people are being forced to take time off work to see a GP, despite government pledges to offer appointments 8am-8pm, polls suggest.

Ministers have promised to improve access to family doctors, with a target for all patients to be able to see GPS at evenings and weekends by 2020. But the survey suggests the situation is deteriorating, amid a drop in the number of family doctors.

The survey of more than 1,000 people found 50 per cent said they had been forced to take time off work to take their children to the doctor – a rise from 41 per cent when polls were done the year before. And 42 per cent said they had lost work hours in order to make appointments for themselves – a rise from 34 per cent in a year.

Rising numbers of patients said they were not offered an appointment outside working hours – with 37 per cent stating this, while almost as many said they had to wait at least two weeks to see a GP.

The survey by Populus was commissioned by Doctaly, a private company which offers patients a private sameday appointment with an NHS GP. The controversial service allows patients to skip queues to see a doctor in an NHS practice, by paying between £40 and £70 for an appointment.

The poll found 10 per cent of those polled said they would be prepared to pay to see a doctor.

But those surveyed expressed unease about having online consultations, which are being increasingly piloted by the NHS, in a £45million scheme, as well as being offered privately. The poll found 78 per cent of consumers said they would rather see a GP face-to-face, while 68 per cent feared “virtual” appointments were less safe than seeing doctor in person.

The Government has pledged to recruit 5,000 more GPS by 2020 to cope with shortages, but in the last year, numbers have fallen by almost 1,200.

Professor Helen Stokes-lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPS, said: “Unfortunately this is an inevitable knock-on effect of almost a decade of underinvestment and not enough GPS to meet demand.”

An NHS England spokesman said: “It’s no surprise that a private service is pushing that paying for appointments is the way forward. The national GP Patient Survey shows more than four out of five people are able to get a convenient appointment.”