Patients found it even more difficult to make contact with their local GP in the past month, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The ONS data for the period 13 December 2023 to 1 January 2024 reveals among those who had tried to make contact with their GP in the past month, around four in 10 (37%) said it was easy or very easy to make contact, down from 45% in the previous period.
Around 1 in 33 (3%) said that in the past month they were unable to attend a medical appointment due to industrial action, similar to when the ONS last asked this question in the period 29 November 2023 to 10 December 2023 (2%).
Brett Hill, head of health and protection at consultancy Broadstone, said: “Increased demand for GP services driven by a wave of Covid infections and other seasonal winter pressures have seen more people struggling to access their GP.
“GP access is critical because it offers patients a quick way to diagnose and treat health issues before they worsen into longer-term illnesses that can threaten lives and livelihoods.
“If people are struggling to get appointments it means early warning signs of serious illness will be missed and chronic illnesses could be left to fester ultimately driving longer-term health implications across the country.”
Hill added it was ‘little surprise’ that the UK is seeing growing demand from employers for private healthcare options like digital GP services and regular health checks.
“Rather than leaving their employees battling to get a GP appointment, these employer-funded and arranged medical services can help employees quickly identify and address potential problems to keep them healthy and avoid the long-term absences which have driven economic inactivity sharply upwards,” he concluded.