Surge in patients paying for GP appointments as pressure on NHS grows
Demand for private GPs has soared as patients seek out face-to-face appointments with doctors at short notice.
Spire Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest private healthcare providers, saw 32,000 GP appointments booked with it last year – up from 23,000 in 2021.
The hospital company, which runs 125 GPs, said revenues from its private doctor appointments rose by 46% in 2022.
It said demand was soaring as patients look for “fast access to longer face-to-face appointments with a GP”.
On the surge in demand, Spire Healthcare boss Justin Ash told The Telegraph: “Clearly there is a well known problem of GPs being under pressure, the 8am scramble [for appointments] is a thing. People want to be able to book online and they want to be able to book at short notice.”
Source: The Independent, 4 March 2023