GP waits reach record highs

04 November 2025

EMBARGO: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local Liberal Democrat MP for Harpenden & Berkhamsted, Victoria Collins, has called for an “emergency package” to save the family doctor. 

It comes after new research revealed that, since January,  69,684 appointments in Herts Valley have had waits of over 28 days, up from 29,604 at the same point five years ago, an increase of 135%.

Local waits of over two weeks have increased from 139,805 in 2020 to 328,109 this year, an increase of 135%.

Victoria, the Liberal Democrat MP for Harpenden & Berkhamsted, has called for an emergency package to end the crisis, and for the Government to deliver a new right to a GP appointment within seven days, or 24 hours if urgent, by recruiting thousands of extra doctors. The emergency measures would include a strategic fund to reopen surgeries, dedicated local initiatives to ensure nowhere becomes a “GP desert”, and the introduction of a 24/7 GP booking system to end the “8am scramble”, with 111 call handlers trained to become GP receptionists. 

The House Of Commons Library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, found that nationally, since Labour have been in power, patients have seen the highest number of two week and four week waits to see a GP since 2020. It follows previous record numbers of two and four week waits under the last Conservative government.

The data also found that there has been a 50% increase in patients waiting over 14 days for a GP appointment since the same period in 2020 across England, rising from 19.7 million appointments that took this long to 43 million appointments. There has been a 67% increase for those waiting over 28 days, from 5.8 million five years ago to 12.9 million today.

Victoria said:

"These figures are deeply concerning for families across Harpenden, Berkhamsted, Tring, and our villages. Waiting over two weeks to see your GP is simply unacceptable, yet that's now the reality for thousands of local people.

"People shouldn't have to endure the 8am scramble for appointments or wait in pain for weeks on end. It's time for decisive action to end this crisis once and for all.

“Together with Liberal Democrat colleagues I am 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 so that no one is denied care when they need it”