Brits are flooding A&E departments in record numbers because they can’t get a GP appointment, new research shows.
A staggering one in four people (27 percent) have been forced to turn to hospital emergency rooms thanks to GP wait times that leave them stranded without care, a nationwide survey reveals.
The findings show the crisis is even worse for younger Britons, with 41 percent of under-35s claiming they’ve had no choice but to head to A&E instead of waiting weeks to see a GP. In London an alarming 45 percent of Londoners say they’ve had to seek emergency care just to get a doctor to see them.
Experts are warning that the system is buckling under the pressure. With NHS resources stretched to breaking point, half of all patients say delays have made their condition worse or left them suffering for longer than necessary.
The nationwide survey, conducted by Savanta on behalf of digital healthcare provider Livi, polled over 2,000 people and paints a grim picture of Britain’s broken healthcare system.
The figures follow new NHS data which shows A@E staff experienced the busiest year on record last year with the total number of 27.42 million attendances in 2024 – the busiest year for A&Es ever recorded and 7.1 percent higher than in 2023 (25.61 million).
This follows a report from the Royal College of Nursing which found 7 in 10 say they are delivering care in overcrowded and unsuitable places – such as corridors, converted cupboards and even car parks – on a daily basis. It found that demoralised staff are caring for as many as 40 patients in a single corridor, unable to access oxygen, cardiac monitors, suction and other lifesaving equipment.
GPs say they are working at full stretch, delivering more appointments than ever. However patients are waiting up to three weeks to see their family doctor. However the latest NHS figures show one in 20 patients has to wait at least four weeks to see a GP and one in six patients wait at least two weeks after a GP booking.
Dr Mashkur Khan, Regional Advisor for the Royal College of Physicians and a specialist in acute medicine said: “The original concept of the NHS looking after people from cradle to grave no longer exists. GP services have been fragmented and patients are getting anxious as they wait too long to get appointments. They don’t know if their condition is serious or not so they fall back on going to A@E, even for reassurance. This means A@E departments are full to the brim and patients with serious conditions are facing deadly delays.”
The figures show:
27 percent of Brits have turned to A&E due to GP appointment wait times.
41 percent of under-35s have gone to A&E instead of waiting for a GP.
45 percent of Londoners say they’ve used A&E because they couldn’t see a GP.
50 percent of patients say long wait times have made their conditions worse or prolonged their recovery.
The government has promised to improve access to GP services, with plans to invest in digital solutions and expand capacity in 2025 and 2026.
An NHS spokeswoman said: “GP’s and their teams are working hard to deliver millions more appointments a month compared to before the pandemic, but we know there is more to do. As well as making it easier for patients to access treatment for common conditions through their local pharmacy, we are improving timely access to general practice with 99 percent of practices now utilising upgraded telephone systems, in addition to growing the GP workforce.”
