Nearly 300,000 waits of over a month for GP appointments in North Yorkshire as Harrogate and Knaresborough MP calls for right to see GP within a week

There were 299,152 waits of a month or longer for a GP appointment in North Yorkshire last year as Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Tom Gordon, has called for patients to be given a legal right to see their GP within a week, or 24-hours if in urgent need.

The research by the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, revealed an increase in the number of waits of more than a month in North Yorkshire. In 2023 the figure stood at 210,330 but jumped by 9% to 299,152 last year. 

It meant that last year, waits of a month or longer in North Yorkshire accounted for 5% of all GP appointments.

Waits of two weeks or longer were also staggeringly high. There were 910,013 waits of two weeks or longer in 2024, up from 671,292 the previous year, a rise of 36%. Waits of two weeks or longer accounted for 24.1% of all waits in North Yorkshire in 2023.

Previous analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research has found that one in eight of those who could not get a GP appointment went to A&E instead. This places more pressure on emergency care, which has seen record long 12-hour A&E waits. Analysis of long A&E waits has suggested that they could have been responsible for 50,000 deaths last year.

Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said that the figures laid bare how badly the Conservatives had broken local health services and criticised the Labour government for their “inexcusable” lack of urgency in fixing this crisis.

Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:

“Behind these figures are individuals in our community who have had to wait in pain just to get the care they deserve, with potentially devastating consequences.

“It lays bare just how badly the Conservative broke health services here in North Yorkshire through their unforgivable neglect. The Labour government is now showing an inexcusable lack of urgency in fixing this crisis, opting for review after review instead of delivering action for people in our area.

“We need to see a legal right for patients to see a GP within seven days or 24-hours if in urgent need. Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to show more ambition in order to get patients in our area the care they deserve. Anything less will just prolong the misery.”

ENDS

Please note the data only covers the North Yorkshire area under the Humber and North Yorkshire ICB; this excludes the Vale of York area which in addition to York also covers the former Selby District, Easingwold and Pocklington.