Employees are risking their health by delaying or missing GP appointments, with nearly a fifth, some 3.3 million, failing to see a GP due to work, with a third admitting this had worsened their medical problems.

These are the key findings of new YouGov research, commissioned by digital healthcare company Doctor Care Anywhere and backed by leading NHS figures who are urgently calling for a new approach to accessing primary healthcare.

With appointment times and access emerging as the biggest barriers to seeing a GP, Professor Robert Harris, Chief Executive of Lakeside Healthcare Group (the largest GP partnership in the NHS) and Dr James Kingsland OBE, President of the National Association of Primary Care, are calling for a new model to deliver primary care services, which is more flexible and easier to access.

The survey’s findings revealed that:

  • Nearly a fifth or some 3.3million workers have cancelled, missed or postponed an appointment due to work – 34 per cent have made a health problem worse because of this
  • The biggest barriers are appointment access and times (59 per cent)
  • The key factors to breaking down barriers are access to appointments outside working hours (50 per cent) and the ability to book appointments 24 hours a day (49 per cent)
  • More flexible access is needed, with 87 per cent saying that seeing a GP on the same day as booking an appointment was important and 31 per cent stating that flexible access to appointments via phone / webcam would make it easier to see a GP

Hot on the heels of the survey, Dr James Kingsland, commented, ‘We do need to develop new models of care, which revolve around delivering the right care at the first contact with the right professional in the right context and setting whether in a GP surgery, at work or remotely.’

Professor Robert Harris added, ‘As patient demand grows, unless we change the way patients access care, waiting times will surely also grow. Between 50% and 75% of our patients, depending on their condition, should be able to access care through a variety of alternative channels, including a broad-based digital offer. This would result in quicker and more affordable service provision.’