A fifth of patients trying to make an appointment with their family GP are left waiting two weeks or more, NHS figures have revealed. Nearly five million patients couldn't see their GP within two weeks in October, with a million of them having to wait a staggering four weeks.
Official data also shows more than a million appointments simply go to waste every month because patients don't bother to turn up. NHS Digital figures released last Friday showed patients failed to attend nearly six million consultations in the first five months of 2018.
The Royal College of General Practitioners has urged patients to let their GP surgery know 'as soon as possible' if they can't attend their appointment. The shock figures come amid warnings the unprecedented demand and falling GP numbers has left the primary care sector extremely fragile.
