Millions left out of 7-day GP appointments: 60% of people do not have full evening and weekend access to their family doctor
- More than five million people live in areas without access to a GP in the evening
- Nearly 80 per cent of Londoners can see a doctor in the evening or weekend
- But only 25 per cent of patients in the South West have the same access
Some 60 per cent of patients in England cannot make appointments with their doctor in the evening or at the weekend, figures have revealed.
Just 40 per cent – about 22 million people – have full provision, meaning they can make an appointment between 8am and 8pm seven days a week.
While more than five million people live in areas which do not have any GP access outside of working hours, despite NHS plans to make it available to everyone by October.
And people’s access to medical help depends on where they live – nearly 80 per cent of Londoners can see a doctor after work but that drops to around 25 per cent of patients in the South West.
Only around half of patients in England have partial provision, meaning their doctor has 90 minutes worth of appointments which can be booked in advance each week.
The British Medical Association has warned doctors are becoming overwhelmed by growing workloads, but the NHS says it is optimistic and investing more than £258 million into meeting its October target.
Around one in ten people in England live in areas where they cannot get an appointment with a family doctor outside of working hours or at the weekend, according to NHS data
Data from local NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and surveys by GPs have been analysed to reveal the scope of medical services across the country.
Around 22 million people – 40 per cent of those registered with a doctor – can see a doctor between 8am and 8pm seven days a week.
And there are big differences between regions – London has the best access, with over 75 per cent of people having full provision from their family doctors, according to the BBC.
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Second is the North with just under 45 per cent, then the South East, Midlands and the East, and South West all have less than 30 per cent of people with full provision.
Only two places in the country have full access for all patients in the area, while most only have it at some GP surgeries.
CCGs in Herefordshire and Rushcliffe in Nottinghamshire are the only ones to offer full access.
In one CCG two thirds cannot get an appointment in the evening
Meanwhile, the worst performer is Sefton in Merseyside, where two thirds of patients cannot get a GP appointment outside of working hours.
Other CCGs not performing well include Liverpool and West Leicestershire, where half do not have the access, and Guildford and Waverley, East Riding of Yorkshire and Mid Essex.
Dr Krishna Kasaraneni, a senior member of the British Medical Association said:
‘While general practice continues to struggle under the intense pressures of increased demand, unmanageable workloads and a workforce crisis, these figures show that the vast majority of patients have some access to GP services out of normal working hours.
‘However, if the government and NHS England are to fulfil ambitious targets they must be backed up with proper resources and a concerted effort to tackle the underlying problems affecting general practice, not least the fact that there are simply not enough GPs to meet the needs of a growing population with ever more complex conditions.
‘Patients are frustrated at not being able to book appointments’
‘Furthermore, we know that patients are frustrated at not being able to book timely routine appointments, and it is these core services that must be prioritised for funding so doctors are able to provide the care the public expects and deserves.’
The commitment to offer seven-day access to NHS GPs was made by David Cameron in 2014, during his time as prime minister.
He said the country would have the improved medical care by 2020 but the NHS brought the deadline forward and says it will be mandatory for CCGs to have extended access arrangements in place by October 1 this year.
An NHS England spokesperson said: ‘The NHS is investing at least £258m this year to offer improved access to general practice, including evening and weekend appointments.
‘This is ahead of schedule with appointments available to more than half the country now, and they will be available across the whole country by October this year.’
‘We want everyone to have weekend and evening access’
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson added: ‘We want everyone to have access to GP services, including routine appointments at evenings and weekends – and already millions of patients have benefitted from this which is backed by our investment of an extra £2.4 billion a year into general practice by 2021.’
Scotland and Wales are not run by the same health service so do not have to meet the target.
Five out of seven areas in Wales do not offer any appointments after 6.30pm, and three per cent of Scottish patients are registered at a practice which haas opted in to the full provision.
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