GP 'crisis'
Fact checks about GP waiting lists, appointments, staffing and pharmacists
The government does not pay private health companies twice as much as GPs
Claims government spending on private healthcare companies is double GP services aren’t quite right, as non-NHS healthcare spend figures also include money for charities and local councils.
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Wes Streeting column claiming 5,000 drop in GPs over last decade amended
Mr Streeting wrote that there were almost 5,000 fewer fully qualified GPs than a decade ago, but NHS England says the data pre-September 2015 is not comparable to current figures.
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Are GP numbers rising or falling?
Earlier this month the PM claimed there are now a “record number” of GPs, while the Liberal Democrats say the number’s down since the last election.
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Labour’s analysis on five million ‘denied’ GP appointments fact checked
This widely reported figure is an estimate, based on several assumptions that may not be right.
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Survey of GPs’ retirement plans is not reliable
The GPs who responded were the ones who knew about the survey and chose to participate—who are not necessarily representative of GPs as a whole.
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Two doctors with same name cause Times letter confusion
A social media post incorrectly claims that a letter written to The Times was from a doctor who died in 2016.
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Daily Mail report on GPs seeing fewer patients on Fridays needs more context
There are some important caveats to figures showing GP appointments drop off later in the week.
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We can’t say patients are waiting over two weeks to see a GP on average
Reports that the average wait to see GPs has passed the two-week mark aren’t based on reliable evidence.
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How many migrants have registered with GPs in the last decade?
6.5 million migrants have joined GP surgeries in the decade from 2007, but not all of them are here long-term and some were double counted.
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Could 18 million GP appointments be seen by pharmacists?
A survey of around 60 GPs found that 6% of appointments could have been dealt with at home or at a pharmacy, but we can’t say if it’s an accurate …
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