Number of 4-week waits for appointments rises 42% in just one year

As reported by the BBC, the Liberal Democrats are calling for the government to review GP access in rural areas

It comes as new data released by the party shows that Gloucestershire had the highest number of four-week waits for GP appointments in England.

Nationally, around 1.3 million appointments in May were booked more than four weeks previously.

This is up from 912,000 in May 2022. Overall, 4.8% of May appointments were booked more than four weeks earlier.

A Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson said it was “committed to increasing capacity so GP practices can offer more to patients”.

In Gloucestershire, the number of appointments with a four-week wait rose to 9.7%, in Sheffield it was 9.5% and in Derby and Derbyshire it was 8.6%.

In Dorset it was 8.3% and in the East Riding of Yorkshire it was 8.2%.

Liverpool and North Central London both had the fewest four-week waits, with 1.8% of GP appointments in May booked more than four weeks earlier, according to House of Commons Library research.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Far too many people are struggling to get a GP appointment when they need one, leaving them worried or waiting in pain for the treatment they need.

“The Conservatives have let down communities across the country by failing to recruit the extra GPs they promised.

“Rural areas are being particularly impacted by long GP waiting times hurting families and piling pressure on other NHS services.

“The government needs to launch an urgent review into the lack of access to GPs in rural communities and act to end yet another example of health inequality.

“Ministers should also back Liberal Democrat proposals to give everyone the legal right to an appointment within a week, or within 24 hours if in urgent need.”

The House of Commons Library research said the figures are not a direct measure of waiting times for GP appointments – many of which happen on the same day.

The figures measure the time the appointment was booked and when it took place, which may be partially explained by patient preference as well as availability.

The DHSC spokesperson added: “We recently announced £240m to support practices to tackle the 8am rush and make it easier and quicker for patients to see their GP using technology.

“And our Long Term Workforce Plan will deliver the biggest training expansion in NHS history and recruit and retain hundreds of thousands more staff, including in rural areas.”