More than 158,000 waits of a month or longer for GP appointment in Shropshire last year, study reveals

In 2023, the party said the figure stood at 128,596, but it jumped by 23 per cent last year to 158,263.

However, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, Dr Lorna Clarson has responded to the findings stating that almost 250,000 appointments were delivered in February this year.

Following on from the findings, North Shropshire MP Helen Morgan has called for patients to be given a legal right to see their GP within a week, or 24-hours if urgent.

The study measured the time between patients booking an appointment and it taking place, and included instances where the patient had requested a particular date.

Findings also stated that there were 543,167 waits of more than 14 days for a GP appointment in 2024, up from 482,644 in the previous year.

Mrs Morgan who is the Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, has campaigned for action to increase the number of GPs, including exempting practices from the Employer NIC hike that was announced in the Autumn budget.

The North Shropshire MP said: "Behind these figures are individuals in our North Shropshire 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 Conservative broke health services here in Shropshire through their unforgivable neglect. The Labour government is now showing 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."

Dr Lorna Clarson, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said: "We understand that any delay in getting care can be worrying. But we should consider the broader picture.

"Between 2023 and 2024, General Practice teams across our county saw nearly 186,000 more patients than the year before. This shows how much demand there is and how hard our healthcare teams are working to give people timely care.

"We often say this, but these numbers once again show that General Practice is providing more care than ever before. In February 2025 alone, GP practices across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin delivered almost 250,000 appointments - that’s nearly half of our local population in just one month.

"Making GP services more available and improving people’s experience is still one of our top priorities and we continue to work closely with our practices to make sure people get the right care, in the right place, at the right time."