Almost 50% rise in patients waiting month to see GP

Delays to accessing GP care are increasing rapidly

Patients could be "at risk" as lengthy delays to see a GP have risen significantly across the North East and Cumbria.

Waits of longer than 28 days to see a GP rose by about 50% last year, while waits of more than a fortnight rose by 25%.

The Royal College of GPs highlighted growing pressures and said doctors are as frustrated as patients when they are unable to deliver "safe" and "timely" care.

Minister for Primary Care Andrea Leadsom said GP services nationwide were being transformed, with 6,000 more GP training places a year expected by 2031.

'Frustrating'

The NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (NENCICB) says it has seen a major increase in demand for GP appointments recently.

BBC analysis of NHS data for the ICB shows more than half of the GP appointments made in the region in 2023 took place on the same day they were booked.

The data shows fewer GP appointments were made overall last year compared with 2022, but the number of "same day" appointments fell slightly.

Waits of more than 28 days soared, going from 126,000 to about 188,000 in 2023.

Longer waits could be appropriate for some routine or regular appointments, according to the Royal College of GPs (RCGP).

However, a spokesman said the "intense workload and workforce pressures" facing GPs and their teams was contributing to many patients struggling to access timely care.

He added: "GPs want our patients to have access to safe, timely and appropriate care, and it’s as frustrating for us as our patients when we’re unable to deliver it."

The ICB said it was working in line with the national Primary Care Access Recovery Programme to increase access to primary care services by using digital services, upgrading phone systems and recruiting additional staff.

Patients are struggling to get through to GP surgeries

The situation in the North East and Cumbria reflects a national problem, according to Louise Ansari, CEO at patient watchdog Healthwatch England.

She said patients were being put at risk through difficulties accessing timely primary care.

Highlighting problems around booking protocols, she said many were struggling to get through to their GP surgery at all, adding: "GPs are a vital first port of call for people who need care.

"If people cannot get through to a GP, not only can their health and well-being be put at risk, but demand on already overstretched hospitals gets worse with people instead visiting A&E departments."

'Above and beyond'

An NHS spokesman said a targeted support programme for GP practices had contributed to millions more appointments a month being delivered nationally compared to pre-pandemic data.

In the North East and Cumbria, there were about 8.1 million GP appointments booked in 2023, compared with 8.3 million the year before - a drop of 2%.

The Primary Access Recovery plan, published by the NHS and the government in May, includes widening access to health services by allowing pharmacies to deliver care once restricted to GPs.

Expressing gratitude to GPs who go "above and beyond" to deliver care, Minister for Primary Care Andrea Leadsom said the government intends to deliver "faster, simpler, fairer" access to primary care.

She said thousands more staff had been recruited across general practice since 2019.