A record 5.8 million patients were kept waiting more than two weeks for GP appointments last month, according to research.
The number of people delayed so long rose 13 per cent year on year, figures from the Labour party show.
And more than one in 10 patients had to wait more than three weeks.
Labour’s analysis of the state of the pressed health system found:
- 2,454,995 patients waited 15 to 21 days in October – an increase of nine per cent compared to October 2018
- 1,688,437 patients waited 22 to 38 days – an increase of 13 per cent
- 1,663,392 patients waited more than 28 days – an increase of 18 per cent.
The findings, released today, put pressure on beleaguered Health Secretary Matt Hancock. GP numbers have fallen by more than 1,600 since 2015, and there is now 7,000 shortfall, leading to long waits.
Two per cent of full-time family doctors left the NHS in the past year.
Jonathan Ashworth, Shadow Health Secretary, said £40billion pledged by Labour would help cut waiting times.
He said: “This is more damning evidence of the crisis our NHS is in after a decade of Tory cuts.
“More families are struggling to get a GP appointment after the Tories have allowed the numbers of family doctors in our communities to fall.”
A Royal College of GPs spokesman said: “GPs are working far beyond what is safe or sensible, working ever-increasing hours due to the rising volume and complexity of patient demand.”
The Sunday Mirror’s End the GPs Crisis campaign is calling on the Government to ease the burden on doctors’ surgeries savaged by years of Conservative cuts.
It seeks funding for at least 5,000 trainee family doctors a year; nearly 30 million extra appointments to shrink surgery waiting times; and improved working conditions to prevent general practitioners leaving.
Last month we revealed in the year to August patients had to wait a month to see their doctor 15 million times.
