NHS horror as millions of GP appointments last under 5 minutes due to shortages

24 April 2023 , 22:30

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One in six patients in England are now rushed through in between one and five minutes by a shrinking number of overstretched GPs - stock image (Image: PA)

Millions of GP appointments now last less than five minutes.

One in six patients in England are now rushed through in between one and five minutes by a shrinking number of overstretched GPs.

Despite promising to recruit 5,000 more GPs in their 2015 manifesto and 6,000 more in their 2019 manifesto, there are 2,000 fewer full-time, fully trained GPs today than in 2015.

Each GP is having to look after an extra 348 patients, on average, than in 2015. This means GPs having to spend less time with patients who are increasingly turning up with several complex health problems.

Analysis by the House of Commons Library looked at NHS figures last year to provide the first data on five-minute appointments broken down by region.

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The proportion of all appointments lasting one to five minutes in England ranged from 16% this February to 21% last October.

West Suffolk, constituency of ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock, had the highest proportion of GP appointments under five minutes than anywhere in the UK (PA)

The Lib Dems, who commissioned the study, warn patients are “waiting for weeks to get an appointment only to be rushed through in minutes”.

Health spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP said: “Many patients need time to properly talk through their symptoms with a GP, especially when they have complex health problems.

“But the Government’s failure to recruit the extra GPs they promised means doctors are forced to cram in more and more short appointments.”

From March 2022 to February 2023 there were 51 million five-minute appointments, 17.2% of all appointments. In many areas a fifth of appointments took less than five minutes.

West Suffolk, constituency of ex-Health Secretary Matt Hancock, had the highest proportion of GP appointments under five minutes than anywhere in the UK, with 21.8%.

The Royal College of General Practice blamed “years of underfunding and inadequate workforce planning”.

From March 2022 to February 2023 there were 51 million five-minute appointments, 17.2% of all appointments - stock image (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

It wants standard GP appointments to be at least 15 minutes by 2030 and longer for complex ones.

The Office for National Statistics found 10 million Britons gave up on getting a GP appointment last month. Of these 56% blamed long waiting times and 26% were unable to get through to the GP practice.

Lib Dems are urging the Government to recruit 8,000 more GPs and have set out plans to give patients a legal right to see a GP within a week.

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The Government was approached for comment.

Martin Bagot