37,000 in Shropshire wait more than two weeks to see a GP

The patients made up 15.7 per cent of all GP appointments in the Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin CCG area, up from the 9.2 per cent of patients who waited more than two weeks to see their doctor in January.

Across the country, more than five million people waited more than two weeks for a GP appointment in September, making up 17.9 per cent of all GP visits.

North Shropshire’s Lib Dem MP, Helen Morgan said the “worrying figures” show that patients are being let down by the Government.

It comes as the Liberal Democrats set out plans for patients to have a right to see their GP within a week, or within 24 hours if in urgent need.

The policy would enshrine the right in the NHS Constitution, putting a duty on the government and health service to make sure it happens.

The Lib Dems said it would be achieved by increasing the number of GPs, fixing pension rules to prevent doctors retiring early, and increasing the number of nurses and pharmacists fully qualified to prescribe day to day medicines.

Mrs Morgan said: “People with serious conditions in Shropshire are being forced to wait hours for an ambulance, weeks to see a GP and months for a hospital appointment.

“Doctors are working hard but are being swamped by demand due to the pressure on every section of the NHS. Meanwhile, patients young and old are forced to put up with anxious waits for checks on all sorts of symptoms. Many are being seen far too late.

“The Liberal Democrats have a clear, credible plan to make sure that everyone is seen by a GP within a week. We need to do much more to recruit and retain doctors, particularly in rural areas like North Shropshire that are often overlooked by the Government.”

She added: “Our plan should be implemented as soon as possible to make sure doctors can give patients the speedy attention they deserve.”

Health bosses working to improve access to GP appointments

County health bosses have said they are working to address concerns over access to GP appointments.

Responding to the findings of the Shropshire Star’s primary care survey, Emma Pyrah, Associate Director of Primary Care at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said they were reassured by positive feedback from those taking part – and outlined efforts to deal with areas of concern – such as longer waits to see a doctor.

She has spoken of a number of initiatives intended to improve people’s experience – and highlighted current measures such as evening and weekend appointments.

Ms Pyrah also urged the public to be understanding – as she revealed some workers have chosen to leave their jobs due to abusive or aggressive behaviour from patients.

She said: “General practice continues to work tirelessly in response to increasing demand. More appointments than ever before are being delivered, face-to-face appointments have been increasing since the pandemic (seven in 10 patients are now seen in-person), and access to GP services continues to be available at evenings and weekends.

“We are pleased to see positive feedback from the survey; however, we acknowledge that some patients are experiencing long waits due to these huge increases in demand and a backlog of elective appointments. We are working with practices to find sustainable solutions and providing a number of initiatives to support recruitment and retention.

“As part of this, general practice teams have grown over recent years, with specific roles available to support the needs of patients. These include different healthcare roles such as clinical pharmacists who are experts in medication reviews, first contact physiotherapists who can help with musculoskeletal pain, mental health nurses as well as many more.

“Our practices are working extremely hard, under challenging conditions, and continue to adapt to maintain and improve the services they provide. Many practices are updating their phone systems, undertaking more telephone triaging to direct patients to the most appropriate healthcare professional, as well as the most appropriate method of consultation, whether that is face-to-face, online or over the phone.

“Sadly, we often see these levels of pressure increasing as staff choose to leave the profession due to abusive and aggressive behaviour from patients. We ask everyone to please be kind to our practice staff who are working hard under considerable pressure, and doing their best for their patients.”