Month-long GP waits to hit record high under Labour as MPs call for 'emergency package' to save practices

The House of Commons Library has said that 2025 is on track to have the highest number of GP waits longer than two and four weeks on record.

The data comes after the waits began to be collected in 2020.

The figures look at the period from January to August this year - and show a 50 per cent increase in patients waiting over 14 days for a GP appointment since the same period in 2020.

There have also been a a 67 per cent increase for those waiting over 28 days, from 5.8 million five years ago to 12.9 million today.

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The research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, comes as the party calls for an emergency package to tackle the wait times.

Sir Ed Davey's party has called upon the Labour government to guarantee patients can get an appointment with seven days - with 24 hours set as a standard for those needing urgent attention.

Liberal Democrat Health and Care Spokesperson, Helen Morgan commented: “Waiting weeks to see a doctor when you're sick, worried, or in pain should be unheard of. Waiting over a month, as one in twenty are, is clearly dangerous. The struggle to see a GP has been normalised - it should be treated as a national crisis.

"If the Labour government does not act with urgency, General Practice will be pulled apart at the seams.

“Liberal Democrats are calling for an emergency package to save our GP services: with a dedicated fund to reopen surgeries, a 24/7 booking system via 111 and a recruitment and retention drive to secure thousands of extra family doctors.

“The government should deliver a right for every patient to be seen within seven days or 24 hours if urgent, so that no one is denied care when they need it."