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The doctor will see you now… but only for a few minutes! Analysis shows that last year more than 51 MILLION appointments took less than 5 minutes

More than 51 million GP appointments last year took five minutes or less because patients were “rushed” through the door, according to official figures.

Patients are typically offered 10-minute consultations, but more than one in six (17.2 percent) finished after less than half that time.

Activists warn doctors who cut their visits short risk missing symptoms and piling up more serious problems for the future.

The House of Commons Library analyzed NHS data on the duration of consultations with GPs and GPs from March 2022, when the figures were first published, to February 2023.

It shows that the proportion of consultations lasting one to five minutes in England rose from 16 per cent in February to almost 21 per cent in October last year.

Patients are typically offered 10-minute consultations, but more than one in six (17.2 percent) terminate after less than half that time (stock).

There were also regional variations across the country, with patients in some areas more than twice as likely to seek a short consultation as others.

The Liberal Democrats, who commissioned the study, said the government’s failure to appoint more GPs had left patients “waiting weeks for an appointment, only to be rushed within minutes”.

West Suffolk, home to former health secretary Matt Hancock’s constituency, had the highest rate of short GP appointments of anywhere in the country: 21.8 per cent lasted five minutes or less.

Other areas with the highest proportions of short-term contracts were West Leicestershire (20.9%), Ipswich and East Suffolk (20.9%) and North East Lincolnshire (20.4%).

This contrasts with Fylde and Wyre in Lancashire, where just one in ten (10.4 per cent) GP appointments were under five minutes.

Research has previously shown that the UK has some of the shortest average GP visits among comparable affluent countries around the world.

Dennis Reed, director of Silver Voices, which works for older people, said: “Cutting appointment times because of the pressure on GPs is a sure way to miss hidden symptoms.

“Family doctor practices usually take 10 minutes per appointment so that the family doctor has time to examine the general physical and mental condition of the patient and not just the existing symptoms.

“Maybe some patients overdo it when they have the rare opportunity to visit their GP, but a revolving door policy can never be suitable for older patients with multiple medical conditions.

“Reducing the number of patients saves more acute problems for the future.”

With the new evaluation, the number of short-term appointments is broken down annually and regionally for the first time.

The Royal College of General Practice has called for standard GP appointments of at least 15 minutes by 2030, with longer appointments for those with complex needs.

READ MORE: The definitive guide to the 6,000+ GP practices in England: From list size to number of doctors to personalized access (as well as what patients really think) our amazing tools show ALL the data… so how about you? Working on track?

The Liberal Democrats want the government to recruit a further 8,000 GPs and have drawn up plans to give patients the right to see a GP within seven days.

Daisy Cooper MP, the Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman, said: “Many patients need time to properly discuss their symptoms with a GP, particularly when they have complex health problems.

“But because the government has failed to recruit the promised additional GPs, doctors have to make more and more short-term appointments.

“People have to wait weeks to get an appointment, but they are rushed through within minutes.

Entire communities are paying the price for years of conservative neglect that has left local health services in shambles.

“The Liberal Democrats have drawn up a plan to increase the number of GPs and guarantee people the right to an appointment within a week so that people can finally get the care and attention they deserve.”

Professor Kamila Hawthorne, President of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Despite intense workloads and pressures on staff, GPs and our teams work extremely hard to ensure their patients receive safe, timely and appropriate care.

In the time frame analyzed by the Lib Dems, 345.8 million GP consultations were carried out and almost 40 per cent lasted longer than 10 minutes.

“GPs are increasingly requiring more time with patients, especially when they have complex or multiple health problems.

“That is why the Council is advocating 15 minutes as the standard for GP appointments and longer for those who need it.

“But that’s not to say every patient needs that time, as some simple conditions can be treated in less time, especially if it’s not the GP they’re seeing – for example, a simple blood test can only take minutes of the time one does.” Practice Nurse – So patients should not feel “rushed” with a short-term appointment.

“But years of underfunding and poor workforce planning have meant that GPs and our teams have struggled to see all the patients who need our care and give them the time they need, especially when treating 50 or more patients a day . a common phenomenon.

“Introducing a legal requirement that all patients be seen within a week is likely to make this worse as GP practices will be forced to reduce the length of each appointment to meet the target.

“There just aren’t enough GPs or other members of the team to make it work – and not every patient needs or wants to be seen within a week or even two weeks.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “To ensure patients get the care they need, we are increasing capacity with hundreds more doctors in general practice than last year, record numbers in training and we are close to our delivery target reached 26,000 additional physicians primary care staff.

“We are making progress in improving access to ensure patients who need an appointment are seen within two weeks and those with urgent needs are seen within the same day, and will soon have further support through our first line recovery plan and.” describe our long-term workforce planning in detail.’

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