Wimbledon MP sounds alarm on local GP waits

Paul Kohler, the Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon, has sounded the alarm on access to GP appointments locally. In his summer survey 60% of respondents* listed difficulty getting a GP appointment as a key concern, with hundreds saying they were worried about access to local health services.

New analysis from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, paints an even bleaker national picture. They 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.

Paul and the Liberal Democrats are calling 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 the introduction of a 24/7 GP booking system to end the “8am scramble”, with 111 call handlers trained to become GP receptionists.

Paul Kohler Liberal Democrat MP for Wimbledon, said:

“People in my Wimbledon constituency are telling me they simply can’t get through to their GP when they need to. After years of neglect under the Conservatives and now worsening delays under Labour, patients are being let down yet again.”

“We need urgent action to restore people’s trust that the NHS will be there when they need it. The Liberal Democrat plan would cut waiting times, end the morning booking chaos, and give patients back the confidence they deserve in their local GP service. This will keep care in the community and reduce pressure on A&E services.”

ENDS

Further reading:

*Please find local survey data on healthcare concerns attached

The research can be found here:

**278534 appointments in South West London have had waits of over 28 days since January 2025 up from 64173 at the same point five years ago, an increase of 136%. 

***Waits of over two weeks for a GP appointment in South West London have increased from 314024 in 2020 to 697077 this year, an increase of 122%. 

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.

Times reporting can be found here.

Royal College of GPs survey can be found here