MP calls for action as two-week GP waits reach record highs

Claire Young, the Liberal Democrat MP for Thornbury & Yate, has called for an “emergency package” to save the family GPs as new research reveals local waits of over two weeks have increased by 145% since 2020.

House of Commons Library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, found that since Labour swept to power patients have seen the highest number of two week and four week waits to see a GP since 2020.

It also showed that since January 163,690 appointments across South Gloucestershire, Bristol, and North Somerset have had waits of over 28 days, up from 77,383 at the same point five years ago, an increase of 112%.

These shocking statistics follow previous record numbers of two and four week waits under the previous Conservative government, exposing the growing crisis in primary care. In response Claire Young MP has called for an emergency package to end the crisis.

The emergency measures would include a strategic fund to reopen surgeries, dedicated local initiatives to ensure nowhere becomes a “GP desert”, and the introduction of a 24/7 GP booking system to end the “8am scramble”, with 111 call handlers trained to step in as GP receptionists. 

The research also exposed the grim picture facing GP practices across England as a whole, with a 50% increase in patients waiting over 14 days for a GP appointment since 2020, rising from 19.7 million appointments that took this long to 43 million appointments.

There has been a 67% increase for those waiting over 28 days, from 5.8 million five years ago to 12.9 million today.

Commenting on the situation, Claire Young MP said:

“Patients across Thornbury & Yate are finding it really difficult to get an appointment to see their doctor – despite the hardwork of local GPs. This is hugely damaging to people’s health and wellbeing, with long waits meaning problems are not always caught early.

“The Conservatives completely failed our NHS, with frontline services being cut to the bone. But now this Labour government are failing to provide any real answers to this ever-growing crisis.

“Together with Liberal Democrat colleagues I am calling for an emergency package to save our GP services: with a dedicated fund to support and reopen surgeries, a 24/7 booking system via 111, and a new push to retain and recruit thousands of extra family doctors. 

“The Government should deliver a right for every patient to be seen within seven days or 24 hours if urgent, so that no one is denied care when they need it. I hope Ministers will finally agree to act, before this crisis gets any worse."