Worried parents are waiting up to two weeks for a GP to see their children as free GP care creates a surge in doctor visits across the country.
Mums and dads who do manage to secure an appointment are often left waiting up to three hours to reach the doctor’s office as clinics struggle to deal with the demand.
The National Association of General Practitioners chief Chris Goodey tells today’s Irish Mirror that same-day appointments are now a thing of the past:
“We’re heading towards the UK now where it’s a two-week waiting list on average. There was a crisis before the free GP care for under sixes came in but now it’s exacerbated.
“Nobody is blaming the patient, every child is an emergency as far as a parent is concerned and one can understand that, but the reality is that we have a huge capacity issue.”
As the new Health Minister Simon Harris gets comfortable at his desk, Mr Goodey revealed that out-of-hours care is “completely overwhelmed”, with a 60 per cent increase in attendance of under sixes across the country.
“That is having a direct knock-on effect on hospital emergency departments.” he continued.
“In a perfect world free GP care for all is wonderful and we should all be striving towards that but not when our resources are stretched.
“There just aren’t enough GPs. We’re anticipating 900 will retire or emigrate in the next few years. GPs are working to the point of burn-out to cope with the backlog.”
What’s the wait time for an appointment at your local GP’s office? Join the conversation on Twitter @HerFamilydotie #GPwaitingroom
