Shropshire Star

Thousands left waiting three weeks or more for GP appointments in Shropshire

More than 16,700 patients in Shropshire and another 6,500 in Telford are waiting three weeks or more to see a GP, new figures have revealed.

Published

That represents about 10 per cent of all patients across Shropshire and seven per cent in Telford.

Data from NHS Digital revealed that 6,000 people in Shropshire were waiting for more than month. In Telford 3,200 were left waiting to see their GP for longer than four weeks.

Waiting times worsened in comparison with November 2017, the earliest period for which data is available, when nine per cent of patients waited for at least three weeks.

In Telford waiting times were in line with November 2017.

And although the figures are believed to include those who need regular appointments and book ahead, the Patients Association said the impact of the waits on others "should not be underestimated".

Rachel Power, the charity's chief executive, said: "It can be incredibly stressful to face a long wait before getting to see a doctor, quite apart from prolonging the length of time someone has to live with the medical issue that is troubling them.

"All of this is a symptom of an NHS running at boiling point all year round."

Frustrating

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said it was "frustrating" that patients were having to wait too long to secure a GP appointment.

"We want to deliver timely care to patients, in the early stages of illness, to avoid conditions getting worse, when they can be both more distressing for patients, and more costly for the NHS," she said.

Two fifths of patients in Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire were able to see a GP the same day the appointment was made.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: "GPs are working hard to provide high-quality care to their patients, with over a million appointments booked every weekday in October and 40 per cent of patients being seen on the same day.

"We are also rolling out extended access hours across the country to ensure that patients can find appointments in the evenings and at weekends, making it easier for people to see a doctor, nurse or other health professional at a time convenient to them."

Across England, doctors see around one million patients every day, with Mondays shown to be the busiest day of the week.