Some waiting a month for doc’s appointment

AN NHS “postcode lottery’ means that people in some areas of the North East aren't getting a doctor’s appointment until more than a month after booking one.

- By SAM VOLPE Health Reporter

NHS figures for March show that in North Tyneside 9% of appointments took place more than 28 days after booking, while in Northumberland it was 8%.

However, health bosses cautioned that this data includes cases where someone has booked a review with a nurse substantially in advance, or appointments with school nurses, for example.

As such, chiefs at the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board - which commissions health services across the area - said that when accounting for appointments with a GP alone, 97% in both Northumberland and North Tyneside took place within 28 days of booking.

The data as a whole shows that across the ICB's geography, 6% of appointments took place after a wait of more than 28 days.