One month waits for GP appointments 'could get more common with ageing population'
Survey finds up to two million people wait three weeks to see family doctor
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Two million people may be waiting for up to three weeks to see their GP as surgeries start to buckle under the strain of an ageing population, a survey has found.
Only one in three patients said they could get a same-day appointment with a doctor and an estimated half a million people cannot see their family doctor for up to a month.
The research, carried out by the Daily Mail and over-50s group Saga, found that 20 per cent of people wait a week for a consultation.
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has claimed that more than 34 million people will fail to get an appointment with their GP when they need one this year.
The prediction, based on the GP Patient Survey published in December, suggested delays will worsen as government cuts and the effects of an ageing population take hold.
Leading doctors have blamed the struggle on the decline in funding for healthcare in the community and an increase in patient numbers.
Dr Maureen Baker, chairwoman of the RCGP, told the newspaper: “We do worry on patient safety grounds that access is becoming more of a problem.
"Take someone who's had a cough for four or five weeks. The chances are that it's a long-running cough from a viral illness. But what if they've got TB, what if they've got lung cancer?
“It if does turn out to be cancer or TB then the quicker they're dealt with the better.”
The Mail's survey questioned 11,019 adults online over a 10-day period last month and asked them how long they waited the last time they saw a family doctor.
More than one in five, 22 per cent, said they waited longer than a week, and 4 per cent waited two to three weeks.
Researchers extrapolated the proportions to estimate how many people were affected nationwide.
The survey also found that patients felt it harder to book appointments now than five years ago.
GPs now see 340 million patients per year, but the NHS budget for general practice has been cut by £9.1 billion in real terms since 2004, according to the RCGP, and each GP is handling 1,500 more consultations a year than in 2008.
Additional reporting by Press Association
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments