Councillors in Northumberland to take detailed look at access to GP provision

It comes after a new survey showed almost half of patients said they found it difficult to contact their GP practice on the phone.

At a meeting of the county council’s health and wellbeing scrutiny committee, members agreed to form a task and finish group to conduct an in-depth investigation into the issue.

Committee chairman, Cllr Georgina Hill, proposed the creation of the group and warned that difficulties contacting GP surgeries could cost lives.

She said: “We as councillors and as members of the public hear day in day out the problems in getting access to the GHP. The problems and risks are obvious.

“There is the risk of early death is obvious but not getting a diagnosis. The perception, even if you have been trying to get an appointment, that it is too difficult potentially costs lives.

“It’s a very serious issue. What we want to do in this committee is do all we can to identify the problem and potential solutions.

“I’m going to make a proposal – I think we need to set up a task and finish group to examine in depth the issue of GP access in Northumberland.”

The figures from the survey also showed just 44% of patients said they were able to see their preferred health care professional at appointments. However, despite this 79% of patients said they would describe their overall experience of their GP practice as good.

Both of these figures were above the national average and the average for the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB).

James Martin, the ICB’s Strategic Head of Primary Care, admitted the numbers were not acceptable.

He said: “I think we all know somebody who has had a challenge getting an appointment or had a family member or a friend who has had a challenge getting an appointment with their GP.

“Nearly one in two say they struggle to get in touch with their GP practice. That’s a huge number, that is not a small amount.

“That is something that needs to be worked on. They are comparatively good numbers, but there is nothing there to be significantly proud of or to say that is a good experience for patients.”

Mr Martin explained that there were a number of challenges around GP access in the county. These included issues around capacity and demand, with Northumberland’s ageing population causing issues.

The number of appointments provided in the county has risen from 181,000 in 2022/23 to 207,000 in 2025/26. This is an increase of 14.7%, and is the highest number of appointments provided in the county.

There are 344,235 people registered with the county’s 36 GP practices, meaning a “significant proportion” of the population are accessing their GP’s services on a monthly basis.

Furthermore, the number of patients registered with GP practices in Northumberland aged 60 and above has risen by 25% since 2015, and is projected to increase by a further 16% in the next decade.

The ICB is attempting to increase capacity within the county – capital funding has been provided to create 20 additional clinical rooms while additional staff have also been recruited.