Four-week waits for GP appointments could reach record high, say Lib Dems

Four-week waits for a GP appointment could be on course to reach a new record high this year, according to analysis by the Liberal Democrats.

Party leader Sir Ed Davey has said that “fixing the GP crisis is critical” and is campaigning for everyone to have the right to see a GP within seven days.

Health and social care has been a much-discussed topic by the party leader in Brighton this weekend, as their autumn conference has continued.

According to the Lib Dems, NHS data suggests that in the seven months to July 2024 there were 10.3 million waits of four weeks or longer for GP appointment.

This is higher than the 8.6 million four-week waits that had been recorded by the same time last year when there was a record of 17.6 million four-week waits by the end of the year.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed said: “Everyone should be able to see a doctor when they need one, but the Conservative Party broke the NHS so badly that millions of people are waiting weeks for an appointment.

“That’s why Liberal Democrats are campaigning for everyone to have the right to see a GP within seven days, or 24 hours if it’s urgent, and we are urging the Government to boost GP numbers to make it happen.

“Fixing the GP crisis is critical to saving our NHS. If people can get seen quicker, fewer will end up in hospital in the first place. That’s better for them, better for the NHS and better for taxpayers.”

Yesterday, Sir Ed said that his party will “focus on the NHS” as it tries to “repay the trust the electorate” put in them at the election.

Speaking to Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme, he said: “What I want to do in this Parliament is, yes, be the champion of the NHS and care.

“And I want to make sure that as we put forward our ideas, we repay the trust that the electorate put in us.”

He added: “We’re going to work every day to keep that trust, to earn that trust, to repay that trust, and that’s why we’re going to focus on the NHS and care and put forward some bold proposals.”

The party’s deputy leader Daisy Cooper is also expected to discuss the NHS in her keynote speech to the conference on Monday morning, and tell conference attendees that “you don’t have freedom, if you’re on a waiting list so long that your world shrinks and you’re stuck hobbling at home between a couple of rooms.”.

She is expected to say: “Good health means you are free to live your life as you choose. And if you live with ill health, then good health and care services can help you live your best life, for as long as possible.

“Decent health and care services are the bedrock of a liberal society.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The NHS is broken. These findings show how much general practice has been neglected. This government will fix this by shifting the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community.

“We have committed to hiring an extra 1,000 GPs into the NHS by the end of this year. In addition, we have provided a further £311 million towards GP contract funding in 24/25 – an uplift of 7.4%. We will also ensure that GPs have the resources they need to offer patients the highest quality care.”