View source for 3.7 Million Patients Paid To See A Private GP In The Last Two Years

Vast numbers of patients are turning to private GP services as they struggle to access appointments with family doctors.<br>Up to 1.6million paid to see a GP for the first time in the past two years, amid growing concern over the lack of face-to-face slots with  doctors.<br>A YouGov poll found 7 per cent of Britons had used a private online or in-person GP service in the past two years, suggesting 3.7million adults did so in total.<br>While 4 per cent had used a private service previously, 3 per cent said they had done so for the first time in those two years.<br><br>This means potentially 1.6million people have used paid-for GP services for the first time, if the figures from the poll of 1,755 Britons commissioned by The Times are scaled up.<br>         Only 60 per cent of GP appointments are in person, compared to 80 per cent pre-Covid<br>   RELATED ARTICLES              <br><br><br><br>Share this article<br>Share<br><br><br>Campaigners believe many of those going private are desperate patients unable to access the care they need on the NHS.<br>Around 80 per cent of GP appointments were held face-to-face before the Covid pandemic - but this fell to just 47 per cent in April 2020, and is still only around 60 per cent.<br>Patients are more dissatisfied than ever with GP services, with just 38 per cent saying they felt happy with family doctors in last year's British Social Attitudes Survey - the lowest level since polling began in 1983.<br>Dennis Reed, from Silver Voices, which campaigns for elderly people, said of the poll findings: ‘GPs are in crisis at the moment.<br>‘The reliable NHS, which was always there for us, isn't there like it used to be.<br><br>The number of people seeking help from a private GP appears to be astronomical.<br>‘It's extremely worrying as many people can't afford this private option and should not have to pay. It's more worrying for those who can't afford to go private and can't get a face-to-face appointment.'<br>Almost half of GPs have said they would consider doing private work for an [https://www.alphaslot777.com slot online] service - based on a sample of 823 family doctors - according to magazine Pulse.<br><br>It comes after the number of full-time and fully qualified GPs fell 4.6 per cent from 29,112 in June 2017 to 27,769 in March this year.<br>Meanwhile, analysis of GP opening hours data from the NHS website reveals that 12 per cent of surgeries closed over lunchtime - and in some cases were open for only half a day every weekday.<br>       The research, by The Times, was based on 2,115 general practices that have updated their reception opening times since 2020.<br>Under a new contract coming into effect in October, GPs will have to offer appointments until 8pm from Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays.<br><br>Dr Shaima Villait, from private GP practice Chelsea Medics, said the biggest growth had been in video services offering one-off appointments for urgent problems such as tonsillitis.<br>She said: ‘The patients like... seeing the same GP and someone who knows their family and their history.<br>‘We are able to offer that cradle-to-grave care.'<br>Professor Martin Marshall, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘We share our patients' frustrations when they face long waits for appointments, and GPs and our teams work incredibly hard to minimise these waits.'<br><br><br>adverts.addToArray({"pos":"inread_player"})Advertisement