GP figures: 18 million waited over four weeks for a GP appointment last year

16 Feb 2024

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The number of appointments where people waited four weeks or longer for a GP last year spiked by 38% on 2022’s figures to 17.6 million
There were 61 million appointments where people waited two weeks or longer, an increase on 2022’s figure of 50 million, a 22% rise
The Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal right for patients to see their GP within a week or 24-hours if in urgent need

Figures released by the NHS today show that there were 18 million four-week waits for a GP appointment last year, up 38% from 12.8 million in 2022.

The NHS data measures the time between when the appointment was booked and when it took place. The figures show that more than one in 20 appointments saw patients waiting over four weeks last year, up from 4% in 2022.

The data also revealed that the number of people waiting longer than two weeks for an appointment had also spiked. An additional 11 million appointments saw patients waiting two weeks or longer last year on 2022’s figures, a 22% increase.

That is 17.5% of all patients waiting over two weeks for an appointment last year, up from 15% in 2022.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal right for all patients to see their GP within seven days and 24-hours if in urgent need.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“Patients across the country are in a desperate position. It has become commonplace to struggle day after day to get a GP appointment, leaving people in pain and discomfort.

“What this Conservative government has done to our NHS is nothing short of scandalous. They have brought the health service to its knees and it is patients and their loved ones who are paying the price of this Conservative party neglect.

“It should be a given that people can see their GP when they need to, not a struggle. That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for a legal right for all patients to see their GP within seven days and 24-hours if in urgent need.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The data can be found here (source: NHS). The NHS data measures the time between when the appointment was booked and when it took place.