Doctors cry out for investment after survey finds GP access is top priority for patients

GPs say they “can’t carry on doing more with less” as a survey finds being able to see a doctor is the top concern Britons have about the NHS.

Polling done for the Health Foundation by Ipsos on NHS priorities found 38% of people wanted it to be easier to get a GP appointment, above improving A&E wait times (33%), improving NHS staff retention by making working conditions better (29%) and improving public wait times (27%).

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chair of the Royal College of GPs said it was “no surprise” that better access to GP appointments was the main priority for the public.

“GPs want this too and it’s as frustrating for us as it is for our patients when they struggle to access our care; but this is the result of years of under-funding and poor workforce planning,” she said.

“As it stands, GP teams are already delivering more consultations than ever before – 367 million last year, more than a million per day – and more complex care, but with only a handful more qualified GPs than in 2019. This isn’t sustainable.

“General practice is the bedrock of the NHS, we make up the vast majority of patient contacts and in doing so alleviate pressures across the entire health service. But we can’t carry on doing more with less - without substantial investment in our service, and initiatives to recruit and retain more GPs, some patients will continue to struggle to access our care.”

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Source: The Independent, 25 February 2025