Shropshire one of worst-hit counties in ‘GP postcode lottery’

The number of four-week waits for a GP appointment rose by 62% in Shropshire 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 – with Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin seeing the 8th largest rise in four-week waits the country out of the 112 NHS trusts.

North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan 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%.

Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat MP for North Shropshire, said, “The Government has failed to get a grip on the GP crisis and patients across Shropshire 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 at Shrewsbury and Telford 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.”

Notes

• The data from the House of Commons Library can be found here. The NHS data measures the time between when the appointment was booked and when it took place. 
• King’s Fund - Public satisfaction with the NHS and social care in 2023 can be found here.