HALF OF ADULTS AVOID GOING TO GP FOR HELP

Experts call for action as 'people are going without the care they need'

- BY HANNA GEISSLER

MILLIONS went without the healthcare they needed as almost half of adults avoided or delayed contacting a GP last year, a poll reveals.

The top reasons people gave for putting off a visit included problems contacting surgeries.

Others did not expect to be given a suitable appointment time and some just waited for the problem to go away instead.

Worsened

Two-fifths (42%) of 2,200 people asked by the Health Foundation think-tank and Ipsos said the general standard of NHS care has worsened in the last year. Only one in eight (12%) said it had improved.

Tim Gardner, the group's assistant director of policy, said: "Our findings signal that too often people are going without the care they need, which risks storing up health problems further down the line and placing more strain on an already stretched service.

While Chris McCann, acting CEO at Healthwatch England, which gathers care users’ opinions, added: “People consistently tell us that GP services are becoming harder to use.

“For example, we often hear from individuals who wait in long telephone queues for an appointment, only to be told that all slots have been taken for the day and that they must try again tomorrow.”

The survey found 48% of patients had avoided or delayed contacting a GP about a health concern last year.

Ruth Rankine, of the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, said it was “disappointing that this polling shows so many patients lack confidence in booking GP appointments due to concerns over access, choice and GP capacity”.