The doctor will see you... next month!
Nearly 18 million patients had to wait over four weeks for a GP appointment last year - 38% up on the year before.
More patients than ever before are having to wait at least a month to see their GP, current data reveals.
NHS statistics show 17.6million appointments that took place in England in 2023 were booked one month earlier. It marks a rise of over a third in the space of a year, illustrating the dire crisis which has seen disgruntled patients abandon NHS surgeries in favour of going private or visiting swamped A&E units instead.
The current crisis fuelled by a shortage of GPs puts patients at risk of having a serious illness diagnosed late or missed entirely.
Across England there were 347.9million GP appointments held last year, a rise of six per cent on the 328.4m logged in 2022, according to its analysis.
The undernoted chart highlights the proportions of patients who are waiting longer than 1 week for a GP appointment with 57% of appointments taking over 1 week, 33% of appointments taking over 2 weeks, and crucially 10% of appointments taking over 4 weeks.
Therefore, it has become commonplace to struggle day after day to get a GP appointment, leaving people in pain and discomfort. This appointment crisis in general practice has seen patients being forced to endure the 8am scramble. Others are forced to complete an online e-consult to reach their practice.
This situation has led to the growing demand from employers and individuals for private healthcare options like online GP services. Many employers have recognised that leaving their employees battling to get a GP appointment is not good for their business. 1Stop4aGP can help employees quickly identify and address potential problems to keep them healthy and avoid the long-term absences which have driven economic inactivity sharply upwards. Find out more about how we can help you and your business below.
We at 1Stop4aGP offer a comprehensive service with:
No limit to the number of times the service can be used within the year
No limit in the length of consultation
All members of the household are included at no extra cost
Provide your employees and their families with the protection and support they require in this vital area.
