Elderly give up on treatment after struggling to reach GPs
ELDERLY people are giving up getting help from GPs after struggling to get through on the phone, ministers have been warned.
Just half of patients now find it easy to reach their family doctor’s surgery on the phone, analysis reveals.
The Government has vowed to tackle the “8am scramble”, which means growing numbers of patients are struggling to get care.
But many surgeries are pushing online booking systems, which vulnerable patients are struggling to navigate.
Analysis of the nationwide GP survey of 760,000 people shows less than half of people find it easy to contact their local practice by telephone.
Trends show that the number dipped to less than half for the first time in 2023, with 49.8 per cent of respondents finding it “easy” to contact their local practice by telephone.
The figure has fallen from 80.8 per cent since 2012.
While the methodology has since changed, this year’s data show an almost identical figure of 49.7 per cent.
One in eight patients contacting a GP practice were unable to speak to anyone at all, the latest research shows.
The 2024 data shows thousands of people who got stuck in an automated system, or gave up after failing to get an answer, or being left in a queue.
On Thursday, an independent investigation into the NHS found that the service was failing the elderly in their hour of need.
Lord Ara Darzi said he was “deeply concerned” about the treatment of the elderly, saying: “After a lifetime of contributing to the NHS, they rightly expected it to be there for them in their hour of need.
But the NHS is no longer able to hold up its end of the bargain.”
During the pandemic, the NHS introduced a system of “total triage” to reduce the number of patients seen in person.
Since then, family doctors have been told that they must respect patients wishes if they want to see a doctor face-to-face.
The latest contract for GPs, which came into force in April, says GP practices must allow to book an appointment over the phone or by walking in, if they wish to. However, patients groups said this is frequently ignored, with websites heavily promoting the use of online systems, and receptionists instructing those who walk in that they must book online.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, practising GP and former chairman of the British Medical Association, said far too many surgeries were forcing patients to use online systems.
He said: “No one should be forced to use the digital route. There are far too many GP practices making it compulsory for patients to use online triage, or in some cases saying that if they can’t they have to dictate details to a receptionist to go through the system.”
“If we have a ‘digital first’ policy for the NHS then you make it the default setting, and that excludes people; that is just not right. That goes against the values of the NHS.”
Caroline Abrahams, the director of Age UK, said: “We have heard of experiences of older people completely giving up with seeking treatment as they can’t get the systems to work for them.
“Shutting older people out of services if they are not online is a flagrant and grotesque breach of the right of everyone in our country to have equal access to the NHS. It has to stop.”
Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said: “I worry about digital exclusion. This is not just about the elderly, it is about a lot of people, those with mental health problems, those with learning disabilities, many people who are vulnerable in some way. For patients in the early stages of dementia, trying to remember passwords and navigate systems can prove a major barrier.” A spokesman for NHS England said: “GP teams are working incredibly hard to see increasing numbers of patients and a recent survey found nine out of 10 patients said their needs were met at their last appointment, but these findings make clear there is more to do to improve patients’ satisfaction and experience in accessing primary care services.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “This government is committed to fixing the front door to the NHS and we have provided a further £311 million towards GP contract funding in 2024-25.
“We will ensure GPs have the resources they need to offer patients the highest quality care.”