Black Country GP numbers down by almost 100 in a decade
There are almost 100 fewer GPs working in the Black Country than there were a decade ago, new figures show.
Data from the NHS shows that since 2013, GP numbers across the four boroughs have fallen from 830 to 733 – a 12 per cent drop.
Separate figures show that in October 10,700 people in the Black Country had to wait more than 28 days for a GP appointment, while a further 35,000 had to wait more than two weeks.
In 2019 the Conservatives made a pledge to increase GP numbers by 6,000 by 2024 but experts have warned that the plan is at least four years behind schedule.
Labour has vowed to instigate one of the biggest NHS workforce expansions in history by taking on new doctors, nurses and midwives.
During a visit to Wolverhampton, Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting said his party would ensure patients in the Black Country were "guaranteed" face-to-face appointments and would be "seen on time".
It comes after the NHS said almost one in six people who tried to speak to a nurse or GP were unable to get an appointment at all last year.
Mr Streeting said: "There are nearly 100 fewer GPs in the Black Country than there were 10 years ago. When Labour were last in power the NHS was in a strong position, now we have the longest waiting lists in history.
"We'll get to the root of the problem by delivering the biggest staff expansion in history, which will be funded by abolishing the non-dom tax status."
Across the Black Country there are 169,000 patients sitting on NHS waiting lists, with 6,800 waiting more than a year for treatment.
According to the latest figures, there are 9,800 nursing vacancies in the NHS in the Midlands – more than 1,700 more than there were in March 2022. The region also has 2,060 doctor vacancies.
