RCGP slams ‘postcode lottery’ governing GP appointments

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has called for the government to remedy the regional variations that exist in terms of the accessibility of GP appointments in England.

According to an analysis of the GP Patient Survey carried out by the college, up to four times as many people are reporting they cannot get an appointment at their local surgery in places where access to a GP is worst, compared to the best-performing regions.

For example, 22 percent of people in Bradford were unable to make an appointment with their GP when they needed to, compared to just five percent in Bath and north-east Somerset. These issues are most prevalent in areas with the lowest number of full-time equivalent GPs per 100,000 patients.

According to the RCGP, these issues can be attributed to the ongoing underfunding of general practice.

Dr Maureen Baker, chair of the RCGP, said: "It is clear that the root of the problem is a shortage of GPs and the lack of funding for general practice. Without appropriate funding for general practice the situation for patients will only deteriorate."

This comes after the organisation launched a petition last week that will rally the support of patients to pressurise UK policymakers into reverse funding cuts that have hit GPs hard in the last decade.