LONDON: Over one million patients in the United Kingdom were unable to contact their general practitioners (GPs) in December, underscoring growing concerns about access to primary healthcare, according to research conducted by the Liberal Democrats. The report highlights significant delays and barriers faced by patients trying to secure GP appointments.
According to Anadolu Agency, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), as cited by the Daily Mail, showed that 4.8 million people were unable to reach their GP on the same day they attempted to make contact. Additionally, approximately 2.2 million patients experienced delays of several days to secure an appointment, while over 1.1 million were unable to access their National Health Service (NHS) GP at all during the month.
The report further reveals that fewer than half of those who managed to obtain appointments had face-to-face consultations, leaving more than 100,000 patients being advised to self-manage their conditions. The Liberal Democrats, who analyzed the data, have called for immediate government intervention to address the crisis. Jess Brown-Fuller, the party’s spokeswoman for hospitals and primary care, stated, “Millions of people are being forced to wait in pain for weeks just to get a GP appointment.”
In response, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care, as quoted by the Daily Mail, outlined plans to recruit 1,000 additional GPs and proposed an £889 million ($1.12 billion) funding package to enhance primary care services. The department also aims to reinstate the family doctor system, ensuring that patients consistently see the same doctor at each appointment, in an effort to improve continuity and quality of care.