Lib Dems: Long waits for GPs three times higher in some rural areas than London

September 23, 2023 07:17 PM AEST | By PAMEDIA
Follow us on Google News:

Waiting times for GPs of at least four weeks are more than three times higher in some rural areas than in London, according to divs obtained by the Liberal Democrats.

The party is calling for a strategy to close what it is calling an “urban-rural divide” in access to GPs in England.

The party also said it will put its policy proposal to give everyone the right to see a GP within a week into its pre-manifesto due to be adopted at its party conference in Bournemouth on Sunday.

According to information commissioned by the party and provided by the House of Commons Library, 20.6% of patients living in rural areas in England waited two weeks or more for a GP appointment between April and June of this year, compared to 16.9% of those in urban areas.

For waits of four weeks or more the div was 6% of patients in rural areas compared with 4.6% in urban ones, the party said.

The four week or more div for London was 2.1%, compared with 7% in rural parts of the East Midlands, and 6.7% in rural parts of the South West.

The Liberal Democrats say they would give all patients the right to see a GP within a week, or within 24 hours if in urgent need, by increasing the number of GPs by 8,000.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Millions of people across the country are struggling to get a GP appointment when they need one, leaving them waiting in pain and distress. GPs should be the front door to the NHS, but that door has been slammed shut in people’s faces after years of Conservative broken promises and neglect.

“Far too many people are being left without the rapid care and treatment they need, piling more pressure on to our hospitals and other NHS services. Our rural communities are being particularly badly impacted by these painfully long GP waits, showing again how the Conservatives are taking them for granted.

“The Liberal Democrats will tackle this crisis by giving everyone the right to see a GP within a week, or 24 hours if it’s urgent. We will narrow the divide between rural and urban areas, ensuring everyone can see a GP when they need to and get the care they deserve.”

Chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs Professor Kamila Hawthorne said: “Our patients should be able to see a GP when they need one, regardless of where they live, and GPs are as worried and frustrated as they are when they have to wait longer than they should for appointments.

“But while arbitrary access targets make good soundbites and might win votes in the short-term, they are not the solution to the crisis in general practice that is threatening to destabilise the entire health service.

“Demand for our services is rising at the same time as we have more GPs leaving the profession than entering it, and general practice itself is now in dire need of support after years of under-investment and poor workforce planning.”

She added: “Each GP in England is now responsible, on average, for over 2,300 patients – an increase of over 160 patients from the end of 2019 – and this is not sustainable. These shortages are even worse in rural and more deprived areas, with GPs looking after more patients (per Full Time Equivalent).

“Our patients and our GPs and their teams deserve better, and we urge all the political parties to wake up to what is really happening in general practice and come up with practical solutions.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “GPs are vital to local communities and appointments are already on the rise – but we’re committed to increasing capacity so that practices can offer more to patients.

“We recently announced £240 million to support practices to tackle the 8am rush and make it easier and quicker for patients to see their GP using technology.

“And our long-term workforce plan will deliver the biggest training expansion in NHS history and recruit and retain hundreds of thousands more staff, including in rural areas.”


Disclaimer

The content, including but not limited to any articles, news, quotes, information, data, text, reports, ratings, opinions, images, photos, graphics, graphs, charts, animations and video (Content) is a service of Kalkine Media Pty Ltd (Kalkine Media, we or us), ACN 629 651 672 and is available for personal and non-commercial use only. The principal purpose of the Content is to educate and inform. The Content does not contain or imply any recommendation or opinion intended to influence your financial decisions and must not be relied upon by you as such. Some of the Content on this website may be sponsored/non-sponsored, as applicable, but is NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold the stocks of the company(s) or engage in any investment activity under discussion. Kalkine Media is neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice through this platform. Users should make their own enquiries about any investments and Kalkine Media strongly suggests the users to seek advice from a financial adviser, stockbroker or other professional (including taxation and legal advice), as necessary. Kalkine Media hereby disclaims any and all the liabilities to any user for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising from any use of the Content on this website, which is provided without warranties. The views expressed in the Content by the guests, if any, are their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kalkine Media. Some of the images/music that may be used on this website are copyright to their respective owner(s). Kalkine Media does not claim ownership of any of the pictures displayed/music used on this website unless stated otherwise. The images/music that may be used on this website are taken from various sources on the internet, including paid subscriptions or are believed to be in public domain. We have used reasonable efforts to accredit the source wherever it was indicated as or found to be necessary.



Top ASX Listed Companies

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. OK