NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight see 144% increase in wait over 28 days for GP appointment
New research is finding since 2020, the number of people with waits over 28 days has increased by 144%
NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight are seeing a 144% increase in wait times over 28 days to see a GP.
The House of Commons Library's new research is finding since 2020, the number of people with waits over 28 days has increased by 144%.
The research found since January, 421,942 appointments in Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight have had waits of over 28 days, which is up from 172,880 in 2020.
Liz Jarvis, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastleigh, said: "People here in Eastleigh are finding it really difficult to get a GP appointment and I am deeply appalled by the fact that they are having to wait such a long time to see their doctor.
“Together with Liberal Democrat colleagues I am calling for an emergency package to save our GP services: with a dedicated fund to reopen surgeries, a 24/7 booking system via 111 and a recruitment and retention drive to secure thousands of extra family doctors.
“The Government should deliver a right for every patient to be seen within seven days or 24 hours if urgent, so that no one is denied care when they need it."
The NHS say the figures have been impacted by COVID and are similar to those of 2019.
James Roach, Director of Primary Care at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, said: "At the moment, we're seeing more and more appointments through primary care.
"The inquiry looked at the number of people waiting 28 days and over.
"I think the first thing to say is that it is sometimes appropriate for people to request an appointment later in this cycle, often for a follow-up.
"It might be for a plan booking like a vaccination, a medication review, or it might be part of their care plan.
"So I think 28 days is often clinically appropriate and service appropriate.
"I think if you compare where we are to where we were five years ago, I think the data to a certain extent, has been skewed as a result of COVID.
"So if you think about the first part of 2020, we had lockdown, and that skewed the figures and we had lower activity.
"As a result of that, we've probably had more people waiting over 28 days than would have ordinarily been the case.
"It also misses the impact of the COVID vaccination programme because we would have been prioritising people for appointments and have vaccinations.
"I think broadly, the percentage of people booked over 28 days is the same level now as it was in January to August 2019.
"What that doesn't tell you is that during that period, we've seen 2.6 million appointments carried out across Hampshire and Isle of Wight every year since 2019.
"The big message is access has increased significantly over time, so we're seeing more people, and through a variety of different routes as well, which I think is really important."
Mr Roach told us Liz's challenge "is the right one" and they're working to support people in the right environment within seven days, and working to "evolve" their model to meet different levels of need.