Need to see a GP? The average waiting time for an appointment is now 13 DAYS
But docs warn patients could be waiting longer because of a rise in demand, retiring staff and a shortage of GPs
THE average waiting time for a routine GP appointment is now 13 days, up three on 2015.
And doctors last night warned it could rise to 17 days by next year.
Some areas even expect it to hit five weeks.
Medics blamed rising demand, retiring staff, and a shortage of people wanting to train as GPs.
Many surgeries now accept emergency appointments only rather than those pre-booked because of workload pressures.
Four in ten GPs said patients wait more than two weeks.
And 15 per cent of the 831 polled by GP magazine Pulse said it is longer than three weeks.
Only 26 per cent of GPs said the wait was longer than two weeks in 2015.
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A study last month revealed 12 per cent of doctors’ posts in the UK are vacant, with surgeries taking more than five months to recruit a medic.
Dr Janine O’Kane, a GP partner in Northern Ireland, expects waiting times to hit five weeks from next year. She said: “Our appointments get booked as soon as they come out. There is no limit to the demand.”
Dr Marie Williams, a Blackpool GP, said: “This is fuelled by a mixture of an ageing population, the survival of people with multiple complex problems, the demise of social care and unrealistic expectations fuelled by the Government.”
Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chairman of the British Medical Associations General Practitioners’ Committee, said: “These figures show that the longer the crisis in general practice continues the worse it gets for patients.
“It’s why there is an urgent need to provide significant recurrent funding now to support the workforce expansion that is fundamental to managing workload pressures and resolving this situation.”
Katherine Murphy, from the Patients Association, said: “Lack of access to GP's is a significant concern for The Patients Association.
“Long waits are unacceptable, as some patients may decide not to seek treatment when they cannot easily get an appointment, potentially leading to serious illnesses being missed.”
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