- One in four people who contacted their GP in the past month couldn’t get through on the day they called
- Lib Dems warn that the government’s National Insurance hike is a “tax on community care” that will make crisis worse
- Party calls for GPs to be exempt from the tax hike alongside other health and care provider
Over 5 million people tried to contact their GP in the past month but failed to get through on the day they called, House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for GPs to be exempt from the employers National Insurance rise, as well as social care providers, warning that it is a “tax on community care.”
The Library’s research, based on an ONS survey published on the 10th October, showed that 22.4 million people tried to contact their GP in the previous 28 days. Of these, 5.2 million were unable to get through to their GP on the day that they called, meaning nearly one in four people who wanted to get through to their GP could not.
According to the Library’s research, a further 1.2 million people were unsuccessful in contacting their GP at all that month.
It comes amid warnings the hike to the employers’ National Insurance (NI) rate from 13.8% to 15% in the budget will push up GP surgery staff costs.
The government has not set money aside to compensate surgeries for this increase and GP surgeries are not eligible for Employment Allowance that shields the smallest employers from the rise in NI.
For example an employee earning £30,000 a year will cost the practice an additional £866 and the average GP surgery will see their annual costs increase significantly.
Fixing the GP crisis is crucial for saving the NHS and the Liberal Democrats are therefore calling on the government to protect GP practices by exempting them from the rise in NICs.
Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Helen Morgan MP said;
Millions of people across the country are already struggling to get a doctor’s appointment, now the government’s tax hikes risk making the GP crisis even worse.
This is a tax on community care that will hit GPs, dentists and care homes, making it even harder for them to employ enough staff and deliver the care that local people desperately need.
Some risk even being forced to close altogether, leaving local patients to pay the price.
If this new government is to avoid the disastrous mistakes the Conservatives made in office, they must exempt GPs and other health and care providers from this tax rise.
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7 Comments
Given the Lib Dem’s have opposed VAT on private schools, on employers NIC as above and agricultural IHT, it is now legitimate to ask what taxes would they raise to tackle poverty and inequality ?
David, keep it simple just raise basic levels of tax so everyone pays according to their means through the coding system. Don’t need great long Budget speeches then, what a relief that would be.
…….@theakes 4th Nov ’24 – 11:46am…..But, but, didn’t we campaign on a platform of how… “We wouldn’t increase ‘income tax, national insurance contributions or VAT’..
So where would WE have got the money without breaking our promises; the very thing we are lambasting Labour for doing?
There were a series of tax-raising measures in our manifesto.
@ Chris Moore……. Such as ?
“One in four people who contacted their GP in the past month couldn’t get through on the day they called”
We used to have a really good GP surgery in the village, now it’s a shadow of its former self . the only change was a change of ownership from a GP who believed in serving the community and a business that runs a series of GP surgeries as a profit-making business and has massively increased the number of registered patients because it helps them to get more income but without increasing the number of staff the number of appointments hasn’t changed…
Central government funding isn’t the only reason why GP service has deteriorated.
When the NHS was established doctors refused to become “public servants” and insisted on remaining private businesses. Aneurin Bevan had to “stuff their moths with gold” to persuade them to accept the new system. So they’re hoist with their own petard. As Roland (above) points out, many practices are now owned by financial organisations anxious to maximise their profits. So “it’s complicated.” Our MPs should think about these things and not jump on every passing populist bandwagon