Over 147,000 waits of over a month for GP appointment in Berkshire West as Reading Lib Dems call for right to see GP within a week

There were over 147,000 waits of a month or longer for a GP appointment in Berkshire West last year, as Reading Liberal Democrats have called for patients to be given a legal right to see their GP within a week, or 24 hours if in urgent need.

This data measures the time between booking an appointment and it taking place.

The House of Commons Library research, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, revealed a sharp spike in the number of waits of more than a month in Berkshire West. In 2023, the figure stood at over 131,000 but jumped by a sixth to over 147,000 last year. 

It meant that last year, a month's or longer waits in Berkshire West (Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham) accounted for nearly one in twenty of all GP appointments.

Wait times of two weeks or longer were also staggeringly high. There were over 573,000 waits of two weeks or longer in 2024, up from over 546,000 the previous year, a rise of 5%. Waits of two weeks or longer accounted for almost a fifth of all waits in Berkshire West in 2024.

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.

Anne Thompson, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Tilehurst, said the figures showed how badly the Conservatives had broken local health services. She criticised the Labour government for its “inexcusable” lack of urgency in fixing this crisis.

“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 Conservatives broke health services here in Reading through their unforgivable neglect. The Labour government now shows 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 to get patients in our area the care they deserve. Anything less will just prolong the misery.”