Patients accounted for 15.7 percent of all GP appointments in the Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin CCG area, compared with 9.2 percent of patients who waited more than two weeks to see their doctor in January.
Nationwide, more than five million people waited more than two weeks for a GP appointment in September, accounting for 17.9 percent of all GP visits.
North Shropshire Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan said the “worrying figures” show the government is letting patients down.
It comes as the Lib Dems laid out plans for patients to have the right to see their GP within a week, or within 24 hours if they urgently need it.
The policy would enshrine the right in the NHS Constitution, placing a duty on the government and the health service to make sure this happens.
The Liberal Democrats said it would be achieved by increasing the number of GPs, setting pension rules to prevent doctors from taking early retirement and increasing the number of nurses and pharmacists fully qualified to prescribe daily medicines.
Ms Morgan said: “People with serious conditions in Shropshire are forced to wait hours for an ambulance, weeks to see a GP and months for a hospital appointment.
“Doctors are hard at work but overwhelmed with demand due to the pressure on every section of the NHS. Meanwhile, patients young and old are forced to endure anxious waits to control all kinds of symptoms. Many are being seen too late.
“The Lib Dems have a clear and credible plan to make sure everyone is seen by a GP within a week. We need to do a lot more to recruit and retain doctors, particularly in rural areas like North Shropshire, which are often overlooked by government.”
He added: “Our plan must be implemented as soon as possible to ensure that doctors can give patients the prompt care they deserve.”
County health chiefs have said they are working to address concerns about access to GP appointments.
Responding to the Shropshire Star primary care survey findings, Emma Pyrah, associate director of primary care at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said they were reassured by the positive feedback from participants and described efforts to address areas of concern. like you wait longer to see a doctor.
He discussed a number of initiatives aimed at improving people’s experience, highlighting current measures such as date nights and weekends.
Ms Pyrah also urged the public to be understanding as she revealed that some workers have chosen to leave their jobs due to abusive or aggressive behavior from patients.
She said: “The general practice continues to work tirelessly in response to increasing demand. More appointments than ever are being delivered, face-to-face appointments have increased since the pandemic (seven in 10 patients now see each other in person), and access to GP services remains available in the evenings and on weekends. week.
“We are pleased to see positive feedback from the survey; however, we recognize that some patients are experiencing long waits due to these huge increases in demand and the backlog of elective appointments. We are working with practices to find sustainable solutions and delivering a number of initiatives to support recruitment and retention.
“As part of this, general medicine teams have grown in recent years, with specific roles available to support the needs of patients. These include different healthcare roles such as clinical pharmacists who are experts in medication reviews, first contact physiotherapists who can help with musculoskeletal pain, mental health nurses and many more.
“Our practices are working extremely hard, under challenging conditions, and continue to adapt to maintain and improve the services they provide. Many practices are upgrading their phone systems, doing more phone triage to direct patients to the most appropriate health professional, as well as the most appropriate method of consultation, whether face-to-face, online, or over the phone.
“Unfortunately, we often see these pressure levels increase as staff decide to leave the profession due to abusive and aggressive behavior from patients. We ask everyone to be kind to our practice staff who are working hard under considerable pressure and doing everything they can for their patients.”
