An NHS postcode lottery means one in 10 patients in some parts of England have to wait over a month to see someone at their GP surgery. In March, more than 1.5 million appointments at practices across the country took place over four weeks after they were booked, new figures from the NHS show.
That works out as 5% of appointments, or one in every 20. It is the same proportion as in March 2024 and also in March 2019, the last March before the Covid pandemic. Where you live in the country has a huge impact on how likely it is that you will have to wait over a month in order to see someone at your doctor’s surgery though. Around one in nine (11%) of March GP appointments in Gloucestershire took place more than 28 days after booking. That’s the highest ratio of any Sub-Integrated Care Board location in the country.
In Derby and Derbyshire, the ratio was 10% of appointments, and in Dorset it was also 10%. In four regions it was 9% of appointments – East Riding Of Yorkshire, Norfolk and Waveney, North Tyneside, and Sheffield. In another seven it was 8% – Barnsley, Chorley and South Ribble, East Leicestershire and Rutland, Northumberland, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, Somerset, and West Leicestershire.
Meanwhile, waiting over a month for an appointment is very rare in some parts of the country. Just 1% of March appointments in North Central London took place more than 28 days after booking.
In 11 areas it was just 2% of appointments – Coventry and Warwickshire, Knowsley, Liverpool, North East London, North West London, South East London, South West London, Southend, Southport and Formby, Stoke On Trent, and Thurrock.
The NHS has said GPs are providing millions more appointments to people in England and better access through upgraded technology.
There were 31.4 million GP appointments in March – up 6.1% on the same period a year earlier with the figure a fifth (19.8%) higher than pre-pandemic when there were 24.2 million.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “From bringing back the family doctor to embracing new tech and innovation, this Government is fixing our NHS and making it fit for the future.”
He added: “Through Our Plan for Change, we have also reformed the GP contract, so more patients can book appointments online and request to see the same doctor at every appointment.
“It will take time, but this Government is doing the work so the NHS can again be there for you when you need it.”
Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services, said for some patients contacting their practice using online methods can be more convenient and easier to access care for their health needs.
She welcomed practices making advances in the use of technology to support the shift for people with digital access who feel confident enough to do so.
Dr Doyle added: “However there’s still more to do to make it easier for patients to contact and see their local GP, which includes making even better use of new technology to improve patient care.”
Professor Bola Owolabi, a GP and NHS England Director of Healthcare Inequalities, said: “Improving access to general practice is an NHS priority and GP teams are delivering 30 million appointments every month – up almost a fifth since before the pandemic.
“Thanks to GPs and their hardworking teams, more than a million appointments were delivered each working day last month, up by almost 20% compared with the same period pre-pandemic with plans in place to improve access even further.
“Patients can also use the NHS app to order repeat prescriptions and view their test results without needing to contact their family doctor.”
Sub-ICB: Percentage of appointments more than 28 days after booking
England: 5%
NHS Gloucestershire: 11%
NHS Derby and Derbyshire: 10%
NHS Dorset: 10%
NHS East Riding Of Yorkshire: 9%
NHS Norfolk and Waveney: 9%
NHS North Tyneside: 9%
NHS Sheffield: 9%
NHS Barnsley: 8%
NHS Chorley and South Ribble: 8%
NHS East Leicestershire and Rutland: 8%
NHS Northumberland: 8%
NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire: 8%
NHS Somerset: 8%
NHS West Leicestershire: 8%
NHS Bassetlaw: 7%
NHS Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire: 7%
NHS Bradford District and Craven: 7%
NHS Bury: 7%
NHS Calderdale: 7%
NHS East Sussex: 7%
NHS Ipswich and East Suffolk: 7%
NHS Kernow: 7%
NHS Lincolnshire: 7%
NHS North Yorkshire: 7%
NHS Wakefield: 7%
NHS West Sussex: 7%
NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes: 6%
NHS Brighton and Hove: 6%
NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough: 6%
NHS Castle Point and Rochford: 6%
NHS Devon: 6%
NHS East and North Hertfordshire: 6%
NHS Fylde and Wyre: 6%
NHS Halton: 6%
NHS Hull: 6%
NHS Kent and Medway: 6%
NHS Kirklees: 6%
NHS Leeds: 6%
NHS Mid Essex: 6%
NHS Morecambe Bay: 6%
NHS Newcastle Gateshead: 6%
NHS Rotherham: 6%
NHS Stafford and Surrounds: 6%
NHS Tameside and Glossop: 6%
NHS Tees Valley: 6%
NHS Basildon and Brentwood: 5%
NHS Bolton: 5%
NHS Buckinghamshire: 5%
NHS County Durham: 5%
NHS Doncaster: 5%
NHS East Lancashire: 5%
NHS Hampshire, Southampton and Isle Of Wight: 5%
NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire: 5%
NHS Leicester City: 5%
NHS North Cumbria: 5%
NHS North East Essex: 5%
NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin: 5%
NHS Sunderland: 5%
NHS Warrington: 5%
NHS Cannock Chase: 4%
NHS Cheshire: 4%
NHS East Staffordshire: 4%
NHS Greater Preston: 4%
NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale: 4%
NHS North Lincolnshire: 4%
NHS Northamptonshire: 4%
NHS Oldham: 4%
NHS Oxfordshire: 4%
NHS Salford: 4%
NHS Stockport: 4%
NHS Surrey Heartlands: 4%
NHS Trafford: 4%
NHS West Essex: 4%
NHS West Lancashire: 4%
NHS Wigan Borough: 4%
NHS Wirral: 4%
NHS Berkshire West: 3%
NHS Birmingham and Solihull: 3%
NHS Black Country and West Birmingham: 3%
NHS Blackburn With Darwen: 3%
NHS Blackpool: 3%
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire: 3%
NHS Frimley: 3%
NHS Herts Valleys: 3%
NHS Manchester: 3%
NHS North East Lincolnshire: 3%
NHS North Staffordshire: 3%
NHS Portsmouth: 3%
NHS South East Staffordshire and Seisdon Peninsula: 3%
NHS South Sefton: 3%
NHS South Tyneside: 3%
NHS St Helens: 3%
NHS Vale Of York: 3%
NHS West Suffolk: 3%
NHS Coventry and Warwickshire: 2%
NHS Knowsley: 2%
NHS Liverpool: 2%
NHS North East London: 2%
NHS North West London: 2%
NHS South East London: 2%
NHS South West London: 2%
NHS Southend: 2%
NHS Southport and Formby: 2%
NHS Stoke On Trent: 2%
NHS Thurrock: 2%
NHS North Central London: 1%
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
