Over 10 million patients had to wait a month or more to see a GP, causing a crisis in the healthcare system.

Recently, a report by Lord Darzi sparked concerns about the shortage of general practitioners (GPs) in the UK. It revealed that more than 10 million people have had to wait for over a month to see their GP this year. This number is expected to rise, making 2024 a year with record-breaking long waits for appointments in England.

In Gloucestershire, the worst-performing area, 10.1% of appointments involved a wait of four weeks or more. These alarming statistics were further highlighted in Lord Darzi's scathing report on the state of the NHS, which also revealed that the UK has nearly 16% fewer fully qualified GPs compared to other high-income countries in proportion to its population.

As the Liberal Democrats released these concerning figures, they called for the NHS to be given top priority in the upcoming budget. Party leader Sir Ed Davey stressed the importance of addressing the GP shortage, as it could ultimately lead to fewer hospital admissions and be beneficial for both patients and the healthcare system.

The Liberal Democrats have proposed that every British citizen should have the right to see their GP within seven days, or within 24 hours for urgent issues. This is in response to the Darzi report, which heavily criticized the reforms implemented by former health secretary Andrew Lansley in 2012. These reforms were described as a "calamity without international precedent" and "disastrous" by Lord Darzi.

Deputy leader and health spokesperson Daisy Cooper expressed her belief that the Lansley reforms were a mistake and that the Liberal Democrats had fought hard to protect healthcare spending during their time in the coalition government with the Conservatives.

The Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged the severity of the situation, stating that the NHS is in dire need of reform. They emphasized the government's commitment to shifting the focus of healthcare from hospitals to the community. In addition, they have pledged to hire an extra 1,000 GPs by the end of the year and have allocated an extra £311 million towards GP contract funding for the upcoming year.

These issues have been at the forefront of discussions at the annual Liberal Democrat conference in Brighton, where health and social care policies have been a major topic. This is the first conference since the party's successful performance in the general election in July, where they gained 57 more seats. Both Cooper and Davey are expected to address the NHS crisis in their speeches at the conference.

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