(Amerika’s Future!)…Millions wait a week to see GP
Patients waited more than a week to see their GP on almost 50 million occasions last year, new figures show as doctors warn pressures are becoming intolerable
By Laura Donnelly
TelegraphUK
10 May 2014
Patients waited more than a week to see their GP on almost 50 million occasions last year, according to figures that illustrate the delays people face when accessing basic NHS care.
An analysis by the Royal College of GPs found that 47 million GP appointments in 2013 – one in six of all consultations – involved a wait of at least seven days to see a doctor or nurse.
In 2012, the figure was 40 million – suggesting a rise of 17 per cent, year on year. If the trend continues, projections suggest that next year 57 million GP appointments will involve a wait of a week or more.
Senior doctors last night warned GPs were buckling under the demands of an ageing population, and that too often only those who “shouted the loudest” were able to secure help quickly. Experts said some patients were forced to wait even longer than a week, with delays of up to a month for appointments at some surgeries.
Dr Helen Stokes-Lampard, of the Royal College of GPs, said: “My biggest fear is that those who are most vulnerable and least assertive are getting overlooked. The patients who shout the loudest will get the urgent appointments, but many others are left waiting for far too long.”
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