Just two in five GP appointments attended by a GP

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

• The number of GP appointments in which a patient was seen by a GP has fallen to just 42% - the lowest figure in two years

• Over a quarter of appointments were not done face to face

• It comes as the number of GPs has fallen by nearly 500 in two years

• The Liberal Democrats are calling for a recruitment and retention programme to inject 8,000 more GPs into the workforce

The latest NHS data shows that just two in five (42%) of GP appointments for October were attended by a GP, representing the lowest figure since October 2021.

More than 8.5 million GP appointments were either held over the telephone or online, which was over a quarter of total GP appointments for the month. 

October also was the worst time in the past twelve months for same day appointments, with just 39% of people managing to get one. 

Earlier this month, NHS data showed that the number of GPs fell by 490 in the last two years despite the Conservative party pledging in 2019 to recruit an additional 6,000.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a new programme to boost the GP workforce by 8,000 over four years and for people to have a legal right to be seen in a GP practice within seven days or 24-hours if in urgent need. 

Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Daisy Cooper MP said:

“This news will only reaffirm what people up and down this country know all too well. Patients are forced to wait in pain, unable to get the care they deserve, with a GP appointment almost impossible to come by.

“GPs and their specialist staff are seeing more patients than ever before, and appointments with specialists are sometimes the best first port of call, but with surging demand and falling numbers of full-time GPs, it would be very concerning if people can’t see a GP when they need to.

“The Conservative party cannot be trusted to look after our NHS. Time and again they have neglected local health services and the situation is only deteriorating. 

“People should have a legal right to see their GP when they need to. No one should be forced to wait anxiously, not knowing when they will get the care they desperately require.”

ENDS 

Notes to Editors:

The latest data on NHS GP appointments can be found here. 

The number of FTE fully qualified GPs in Oct 2023 (27,368) has gone down by 101 since October 2022 (27,469) and by 490 since October 2021 (27,858). 

The data for 2023 can be found here. 

The data for 2022 and 2021 can be found here.