Local MP slams “GP crisis” as Bath area sees 43% increase in four-week long waits

2 April 2024

The number of four-week waits for a GP appointment rose by 43% in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire last year, new research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The House of Commons Library analysis looks at NHS data measuring the time between when a GP appointment was booked and when it took place, broken down by local NHS areas across England.

Every single local area in the country saw a rise in 4-week GP waits in 2023 compared to the previous year. Bath MP Wera Hobhouse has claimed that the Government has ‘failed to get a grip on the GP crisis’ and is leaving patients in limbo. Liberal Democrat MPs are calling for patients to be given a legal right to see their GP within seven days or 24-hours if in urgent need.

This comes as a survey by the King’s Fund this week found only a third of people are satisfied with GP services, the lowest since records began in 1983. Since 2019, satisfaction with GP services has fallen by 34%.

Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, commented:

“The Government has failed to get a grip on the GP crisis and patients across Bath are waiting far too long for appointments as a result.

“It should not be too much to ask to be able to see a GP when you need to and that’s why I want to see the law changed to give patients more rights.

“Patients now face a postcode lottery when it comes to appointments, with hugely different results even between nearby villages. It is no wonder we have such problems with ambulance waits and full A&Es when the basics of care are so sorely lacking.

“We need an urgent package of support for local services, and legal rights for patients to get an appointment within seven days or 24-hours if in urgent need.”

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