Almost half of the public in the UK delay or avoid contacting their GP surgery when ill, primarily due to concerns about securing an appointment, according to a survey by Ipsos for the Health Foundation thinktank. The poll found that 48% of people did not seek help from their family doctor over the past year, either initially or at all.
Over a quarter (27%) chose to manage their ailment themselves or waited for it to resolve, despite doctors warning that avoiding GP care could seriously harm health. Three in ten respondents did not expect to be offered a timely appointment, while 17% thought contacting their practice would be difficult.
Prof Victoria Tzortziou Brown, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “General practice is the front door of the health service, and all patients should be able to see their GP when they need to. So it is worrying to hear that some might be delaying or avoiding seeking care because they think getting an appointment will be difficult.”
Separate polling by Savanta for the Liberal Democrats revealed that a third of Britons have avoided A&E in the past two years despite needing treatment, expecting long delays. Helen Maguire, Lib Dem health spokesperson, commented: “Patients deserve so much better. It is heartbreaking to think of elderly people or parents with sick children sitting at home in pain because they have lost faith that the system will be there for them.”
The Health Foundation said the findings should “ring alarm bells” for the government’s plan to shift care from hospitals to community settings. The Ipsos survey also found that only 32% believe the NHS provides a good service nationally, and 47% fear further decline over the next year.
