Older people left behind as GP services go digital

OLDER people are struggling to access GP services and feel left behind by increasingly digital systems, a study suggests.

-  Hanna Geissler

Three-quarters said they or an immediate family member had experienced difficulty booking a face-to-face appointment.

Eight in ten reported they had to accept a telephone consultation and 71% saw a member of staff who was not a GP.

The poll by over-60s campaign group Silver Voices of 1,200 members also found 16% could request a GP consultation only online.

Just a quarter said their surgeries offered walk-in appointments and only 41% of practices accept phone requests for repeat prescriptions.

The research also revealed 18% of respondents or their family members had gone to A&E because they could not obtain an urgent appointment with 31% having resorted to private healthcare.

Barriers

Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, said: "Our survey shows problems of access to GPs are continuing to grow and barriers are being erected by practices to limit opportunities for face-to-face interaction with doctors.

"It is appalling that one in six practices is now operating an internet-only application process, often involving the completion of online questionnaires to justify why an appointment is necessary."