County worst area in England for two and four week waits to see GP

Figures from May 2022 to May this year show an average of 7.9 per cent of patients in the county had to wait more than a month for an appointment with their doctor.

And, almost one in four patients had to wait more than two weeks to see a GP.

For both two and four week waits, Gloucestershire’s waiting times were the highest on average across that period, according to House of Commons Library research.

The research is based on NHS data showing the length of time between when a GP appointment was booked and when it took place.

It shows the areas with the highest proportion of four week waits for a an appointment, with predominantly rural counties such as Gloucestershire among the worst hit.

And the Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal right for patients to see a GP within a week, or within 24 hours if in urgent need. They say this would be achieved by increasing the number of GPs by 8,000.

County councillor Paul Hodgkinson (LD, Bourton and Northleach) said: ‘I get regular feedback from residents that they are often waiting a long time for GP appointments.

“Sadly, these new figures reveal that in fact Gloucestershire has the worst record recently in the whole of England,” he said.

“My own experience last winter was that trying to get a GP appointment was like getting through the eye of a needle.

“I thought this had improved a lot but in reality we now find ourselves at the bottom of the pile.

“I know GPs and surgery staff work very hard and are dedicated to making us all better. However, we should expect to be able to speak to a GP within a reasonable time. After all, our health and wellbeing is the most important aspect of our lives.”

NHS Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, which is responsible for planning and arranging health services to meet the county’s needs, say they have been focusing on providing more appointments for our population.

They acknowledge that some patients have had to wait longer than they would like for non-urgent appointments and they are doing all they can to improve this position.

But say the data quoted by the Lib Dems is not a measure nor indication of practice quality or patient care but does provide useful insights into the delivery of appointments.

“We know how important it is for people to receive the right care and timely support from their GP practice in a way that suits their needs,” a spokesperson said.

“The National General Practice Appointments Data is not a measure or indication of practice quality or patient care, but it does provide useful insight into the delivery of GP practice appointments.

“In Gloucestershire we have been focusing on providing more appointments for our population.

“This has been demonstrated by the national data which shows clearly that in Gloucestershire, we are providing thousands more appointments compared with national averages.

“Over 353,800 appointments are delivered on average each month by GP practices across Gloucestershire, an increase of 18.1% on pre-Covid pandemic levels in 2019.

“We understand this to be significantly above the national average increase. In May 2023, Gloucestershire practices provided 24 per cent more same-day appointments than in May 2019.

“In addition, 73 per cent of appointments are in person (face to face) with a clinician; the remaining 27 per cent are conducted by phone or virtually.

“We are pleased that our focus on improving access to appointments has been backed up by this year’s national GP patient survey, published on 13 July, which showed that overall patient satisfaction rates in Gloucestershire (80 per cent) are well above the national average (71 per cent) and amongst the highest in England.

“However, we know that some patients across the county have had to wait longer than they would like for non-urgent appointments and we are doing all we can to improve this position.

“Some practices have introduced new triage and telephony systems, and most now have other healthcare professionals such as clinical pharmacists, physiotherapists, mental health workers and paramedics working within or alongside practice teams, offering patient appointments and supporting them to meet the individual needs of patients.

“In Gloucestershire, as across England, GP surgeries are facing a record increase in patient contacts whilst dealing with staffing shortages across practice teams. Primary care staff are going to incredible lengths in these challenging circumstances.

“We will continue to work closely with practices and primary care networks to share learning opportunities and improve access to services in all areas of the county.”