Over 400,000 GP appointments in Berkshire West lasted less than 5 minutes

437,093 GP appointments in Berkshire West in the last year lasted less than five minutes, new research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.

The party warned that the government’s failure to recruit more GPs has meant patients are “waiting for weeks to get an appointment only to be rushed through in a matter of minutes.” 

In Berkshire West (an area that covers Reading, Wokingham and Newbury), 16.7% of all GP appointments between March last year and February this year were 5 minutes or less, meaning a total of 437,093.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the government to recruit 8,000 more GPs and have set out plans to give patients a legal right to see a GP within 7 days. 

The Commons Library analysis is based on NHS figures for the year between March 2022, when the data was first published, and February 2023. It provides a figure for the first time on the number of five-minute GP appointments over an entire year, broken down by local area.

Nationally, the figures show that overall, almost one in six (17.2%) GP appointments in England in the past year lasted less than five minutes. However, in some areas, the number of patients being rushed through rapid appointments was far higher.

Commenting, Reading Liberal Democrat Councillor Meri O’Connell said: 

“Many patients in Reading need time to properly talk through their symptoms with a GP, especially when they have complex health problems. 

“But the government’s failure to recruit the extra GPs they promised has meant doctors are being forced to cram in more and more short appointments. People are being left waiting weeks to get an appointment only to be rushed through in a matter of minutes.

“Entire communities are paying the price for years of neglect under the Conservatives, who have driven local health services into the ground.

“Reading’s Liberal Democrats have set out a plan to boost GP numbers and guarantee people a right to an appointment within one week, so people can finally get the care and attention they deserve.”