NHS GP waiting lists soar under Labour despite Wes Streeting vowing to fix crisis

That represents an increase of 300,000 from the same time last year. From 2022, that number has risen by over two million.

October 2025 was the worst since records began, with 4.1 million patients waiting a month or more for a GP appointment, an increase of six per cent on last year, and more than 50 per cent on 2023.

This number did decrease to 1.8 million in November, however that still demonstrates a rise of more than 250,000 since Labour took office.

The South West of England was the worst-affected area, seeing an increase of almost 24 per cent compared to last July.

Stuart Andrew, the Shadow Health Secretary, said: "Labour promised to get NHS waiting lists down, but instead people are waiting longer to access basic services – all while paying higher and higher taxes for the privilege."

The service has had to contend with the latest round of resident doctor strikes, lasting five days, and one of the worst flu seasons in history.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the "superflu" outbreak had put "significant strain" on the service, and frontline services were under "enormous pressure".

And it could get worse; demand for appointments could soar further with Christmas and Boxing Day holidays coming to an end and health officials warning of an impending cold snap over the New Year.

However, the numbers paint a telling picture, despite Labour's vows to "fix the front door at the NHS" and put a stop to the "8am scramble" for GP appointments, according to Mr Streeting.

Helen Morgan, the health spokesman for the Liberal Democrats, who released the figures, said: "GP services were left teetering on the edge by the Conservatives, but the fact that waits have worsened represents a damning failure by the Labour Government too."

The Liberal Democrats say that waiting times between two and four weeks have increased in every region since Labour took office.

Age UK's Caroline Abrahams expressed her concerns that the elderly will be put at further risk, and "would simply give up" on going for a check-up.

"GP practices are the bedrock of the NHS, and absolutely crucial to many older people’s ability to live independently in their own homes," she added.

"It’s clear that they are under huge pressure at present and that in some places there just aren’t enough GPs and associated staff for a growing older population."

Almost £30billion in funding was allocated to the NHS in the Government's spending review, with the increase to employers' National Insurance invested in over 1,000 GPs.

The Health Secretary also celebrated the service's "record-breaking" year in July, claiming 383 million appointments had been delivered.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care disputed the newly-released figures: "This isn’t correct. These figures are being misrepresented as requests for ‘urgent’ appointments, but include long-term condition reviews and follow-up appointments, which are often booked well in advance to suit patients.

"Over the past 16 months, this Government has invested an extra £1.1bn into primary care, recruited an extra 2,500 GPs, and halved the number of targets so GPs spend less time box ticking and more time caring for patients. As a result, patient satisfaction with general practice has improved after a decade of decline.

"GP teams have delivered 6.5 million more appointments in the last 12 months, up from 378.2 million to 384.7 million, with 2025 set to be a record year."

Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter