National rise in long waits for GP appointments

Across the country, around 1.3 million appointments in May were booked more than four weeks previously, up from 912,000 the previous year.

Overall, 4.8% of May appointments were booked more than four weeks earlier – in Sheffield the figure was 9.5% and in the East Riding of Yorkshire 8.2%.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it was “committed to increasing capacity so GP practices can offer more to patients”.

The figures measure the length of time between the booking of the appointment and when it took place, which may be partially explained by patient preference as well as availability.

The DHSC spokesperson added “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.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (jacquelinevance@chadlaw.co.uk), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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