12 November 2023 , 21:00
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Three quarters of pensioners have struggled to get a face-to-face GP appointment, a study reveals tonight.
Desperate OAPs are flocking to hospital casualty units or paying to go private after being unable to see their family doctor, according to a poll of more than 1,200 older people in the Silver Voices over-60s campaign group.
The SurveyMonkey study, carried out earlier this month, found 76% had experienced difficulties in obtaining a face-to-face GP appointment; 80% had to accept a telephone consultation rather than a face-to-face appointment; 71% had to accept an appointment with another member of practice staff rather than the GP; 18% had attended A&E because they were unable to secure an urgent GP appointment; and 31% had resorted to private healthcare because of dissatisfaction with their local NHS.
Silver Voices director Dennis ReedSilver Voices director Dennis Reed said: “The family doctor is becoming an elusive species with many hoops to be negotiated before an audience is finally granted to the patient. So, it is natural that, in desperation, large numbers of older people are turning to private healthcare or attendance at accident and emergency departments. Unless urgent action is taken, this will become a major political issue in the run-up to the general election.”
He highlighted what he called “barriers” created by GP practices which hamper attempts for face-to-face consultations. Mr Reed said just 24% of surgeries still accept walk-in requests for appointments, with 16% operating an internet-only request process for appointments. He said only 41% of practices still accept telephone requests for repeat prescriptions.
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Mr Reed added: “The problems of access to GPs are continuing to grow and barriers are being erected by practices to limit opportunities for face-to-face interaction with doctors. It is appalling that one in six practices are now operating an internet-only application process - often involving the completion of online questionnaires to justify why an appointment is necessary.”
In August, it was announced that all GP surgeries in England are set to move over to a digital phone system by next Spring in a bid to end the notorious "8am scramble" for appointments. More than 1,000 practices had already signed up for the upgrade, which is due to be fully operational from March. Health Secretary Steve Barclay said at the time: "We are delivering on our promises to make access to GP appointments easier while boosting staffing numbers."
The Department of Health was contacted for comment.