Concerns as elderly 'shut out' of GP services 'giving up' on seeking NHS treatment

Many GP surgeries are increasingly preferring online booking for appointments - and there are fears people are being left behind.

08:09, Sun, Sep 15, 2024 | UPDATED: 08:19, Sun, Sep 15, 2024

Hands of a mature person Using Mobile Phone

There are concerns elderly people are struggling to contact GP surgeries (file pic) (Image: Getty)

There are concerns the elderly are being "shut out" of GP services due to online booking for appointments - a charity boss has warned.

Just 49.7 percent of people said they found it easy to contact their local doctor's surgery on the phone in the latest NHS survey - with just 12.3 percent of around 700,000 respondents saying their call was answered straight away.

While satisfaction with both contacting GPs through their websites and the NHS app was also lower than 50 percent - at 47.9 percent and 44.8 per cent respectively - there are concerns old people in particular are giving up on asking for help due to new systems.

Caroline Abrahams, director of Age UK, told the Sunday Times the charity had reports of some older people giving up entirely because they could not get the system to work for them.

She said: “Recently, we heard from an older lady who dreads becoming ill as her GP Surgery now has an online booking system for appointments and she doesn’t use computers.

Booking a COVID-19 Vaccine

There are concerns GP websites are difficult for some to use to contact their doctor (Image: Getty)

“She told us she feels quite abandoned. We cannot have a system where older people who are offline are locked out of the care they need.

“Shutting older people out of services if they are not online is a flagrant and grotesque breach of the right of everyone in our country to have equal access to the NHS. It has to stop.”

GP surgeries are contractually obligated to offer the ability to make appointments by phone - however the latest survey states that 38.2 percent of people who tried to contact their GP by phone found it "difficult" - and another 15.8 percent said it was "very difficult".

The figures were similar for those trying to contact their GP through their websites, with 37.1 per cent of those two tried saying it was "difficult" and a further 17.7 per cent calling it "very difficult".

Don't miss...
Keir Starmer set for huge battle with union paymasters over NHS reforms [LATEST]
'I thought lump in my neck was harmless infection until terrifying diagnosis' [LATEST]
Lord Darzi's report highlights severe strain on NHS due to rapid population [LATEST]

Female doctor working on laptop in the office

There are concerns elderly people are giving up on getting medical help (Image: Getty)

An NHS England spokesperson told the Times nine in 10 patients said their needs were met at their most recent GP appointments - but acknowledged there was more to do to improve people's "satisfaction and experience in accessing primary care services".

They added that GP practices were obliged to offer an option to call to book an appointment.

A Department for Health and Social Care spokesperson said it was "unacceptable" people were struggling to book appointments with their doctors and said it was working to cut NHS red tape and end the "8am scramble" for appointments.