Figures present one in 25 sufferers waits greater than a month for a GP appointment.
The NHS England knowledge additionally revealed three in 20 conferences final below 5 minutes – and one in 4 takes place over the cellphone or by way of video name.
A well being service adviser who works with GP practices and requested to not be named instructed sufferers needs to be given a time-frame for seeing a household physician, similar to hospital remedy.
There are wait-time guidelines for sufferers receiving hospital – or secondary care – remedy. Below the NHS structure, they’ve a proper to start remedy inside 18 weeks of a referral.
These suspected of getting most cancers should have a confirmed prognosis and begin remedy inside 62 days of a household physician’s evaluation. Nonetheless GP sufferers will not be safeguarded by such guidelines.
The adviser mentioned: “GPs would profit from having targets, so there are limits on the time folks ought to wait to be assessed. The Netherlands spends the identical quantity on healthcare as we do however probably the most a affected person would wait is two days and most are seen
in a day.
“GPs right here work very laborious and do a number of clinics. The service shouldn’t be working properly and wishes radical reform.”
Professor Carl Heneghan, director of the Centre for Proof-Based mostly Medication at Oxford College and an pressing care GP, mentioned delays could be lethal.
“These figures spotlight the issue sufferers have,” he mentioned. “It isn’t acceptable to attend 4 weeks to see a GP for an issue which might be life-threatening. The supply of our healthcare wants main surgical procedure.”
Separate knowledge reveals the NHS is spending round £250million a 12 months for claims over delayed or missed diagnoses.
The statistics, gathered by medical negligence solicitors Minton Morrill, present there have been 8,718 payouts between 2017 and 2021, totalling £1.14billion.
A Division of Well being and Social Care spokesman mentioned: “We’re making it simpler for sufferers to see their GP. In September there have been 135,000 extra appointments per working day in comparison with a 12 months in the past. We’re investing £240million to assist practices to embrace the most recent know-how to assist beat the 8am rush. We now have delivered greater than 2,000 further medical doctors and 31,000 further employees.”