New ONS data out this morning shows the difficulty many patients are facing contacting their GP with nearly four in 10 (39%) of those who tried to get in touch with their family doctor over the past month facing a struggle to make contact.
 
With over 25 million people trying to contact their GP for themselves or a loved one every month, it is the equivalent of around 9.8 million people having trouble when they try to arrange an appointment access routine contact with a doctor according to the data collected 4 – 14 January 2024.
 
It marks a sharp increase from the data for 13 December – 1 January when 30% of those who said they had tried to contact a GP said it was difficult to make contact with the practise, following industrial action at the start of the year. NHS England recorded 31.4 million GP appointments in November 2023, making it the busiest November on record for GP teams.
 
Brett Hill, Head of Health & Protection at leading independent consultancy Broadstone, commented: “Increased demand for GP services driven by a wave of Covid infections and other seasonal winter pressures have seen more people struggling to access their GP.
 
“GP access is critical because it offers patients a quick way to diagnose and treat health issues before they worsen into longer-term illnesses that can threaten lives and livelihoods. If people are struggling to get appointments it means early warning signs of serious illness will be missed and chronic illnesses could be left to fester ultimately driving longer-term health implications across the country.
 
“It is little surprise that we are seeing growing demand from employers for private healthcare options like digital GP services and regular health checks. Rather than leaving their employees battling to get a GP appointment, these employer-funded and arranged medical services 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.”
 
https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/publicopinionsandsocialtrendsgreatbritain4to14january2024