New data from the NHS has shown that more people are waiting a month for a GP appointment than at any time since when records began in 2017. 17,181 people in Birmingham faced a wait of 28 days or more to see a GP in October alone. A further 57,570 people had to wait more than two weeks.
Almost two million people in England had to wait more than 28 days in October, while a further 4.3 million had to wait more than two weeks. At the same time, the number of GPs has fallen to a record low, leaving patients in a desperate scramble to be seen. Since 2013, 4,600 GPs have been cut.
The findings come as MPs prepare to vote on a motion proposed by the Labour Party to abolish the non-dom tax status, which allows some wealthy people who live in Britain to pay their taxes overseas, to pay for training a new generation of NHS staff. Labour’s plan would:
Double the number of medical school places, training 15,000 new doctors a year
Train 10,000 additional nurses and midwives every year
Double the number of district nurses qualifying each year
Train 5,000 new health visitors
Labour’s plan will see patients guaranteed a face-to-face appointment with a GP if they want one. While some patients prefer to hold appointments over the phone, many are frustrated at not being able to see their doctor in person, and just 22% of patients are given a choice in the type of appointment they have. One in seven people who try to speak to a nurse or GP were unable to get an appointment at all last year.
Labour is also pledging to bring back the family doctor, so patients can see the same GP each appointment if they choose to. Patients are increasingly unable to see the doctor of their choice, with two in every three patients rarely or never speaking to their preferred doctor, up from just half in 2018. Under Labour’s plans, GP practices will be provided with incentives to offer patients continuity of care, so doctors must take into account patients’ preferences
Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Birmingham Edgbaston said:
“Patients in Birmingham are finding it impossible to see a GP when they need to and we have to remember that of those 17,000 waiting more than a month or not getting an appointment at all, there will be conditions going undiagnosed until it is too late.
“The Conservatives have had 12 years to train the staff our NHS needs but instead, has left it with thousands fewer GPs. This is simply unacceptable and it’s patients in Birmingham that are left paying the price, too often in pain and discomfort.
“Labour will train a new generation of doctors and nurses, paid for by abolishing the non-dom tax status that allows people who live in Britain to pay their taxes overseas. Patients need doctors’ appointments more than the wealthiest need a tax break. Patients should be able to see the doctor they want, in the manner they choose, when they need to. Labour will put patients first and get them seen on time again.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1,911,538 people in England had to wait more than 28 days for an appointment in October, while a further 4,328,359 people had to wait more than two weeks. Table 3d
Constituency level data has been compiled from the practice level data also provided by the NHS