"Alarming figures" show one in five East Sussex patients waiting more than two weeks for a GP appointment

The Liberal Democrats have released research that showed more then 57,000 people in Sussex, including East Sussex, waited more than a fortnight for an appointment in September, making up 20% of all GP appointments for that month, up from the 13.5% in January.

Across the country, over five million appointments took more than two weeks for a GP appointment in September, making up 17.9% of all GP visits.

The Lib Dems said the “alarming figures” show that patients in Lewes, Seaford, Newhaven, Polegate and local villages are being let down.

James MacCleary, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Lewes, said: “These alarming figures show our local health service is being driven into the ground under this Conservative government.

“Behind these statistics are so many people and families in Seaford, Lewes, Newhaven, Polegate and local villages anxiously waiting for an appointment for worrying symptoms.

"In the last month alone, I have heard heart-breaking stories of local people whose conditions worsened significantly as they sought treatment. Our local MP is a health minister, and is letting down her constituents as services get worse.

“Every day, the government’s promises become more and more hollow. The sad truth is they’re disinterested in our NHS, and refuse to take action to pull it back from the brink.

"People in East Sussex will pay the price if this government continues to take us for granted and sit on their hands.”

Maria Caulfield, Conservative MP and former health minister, stated the key reason for the latest figures was a lack of space at each surgery.

The current Secretary of State for Mental Health and Women’s Health Strategy claimed that ‘shocking’ Lib Dem-led local councils had failed to deliver new medical hubs has resulted in patients not being able to be seen.

Ms Caulfield said: “One of the key reasons they are limited in the number of patients they can see in any one day in Newhaven, Seaford and Newhaven is because the lack of space at each surgery. Our GPs locally are working in poor, cramped and overcrowded conditions.

"Despite the government giving over £100 to Lib Dem run Lewes District council for the North Street Quarter new medical hub in 2020 not a brick has been laid.

"The £7 million for future Newhaven high streets fund given to Lewes District Council to see GPs in Newhaven get new premises is delayed and they turned down the new medical hub in Seaford to bring Old School and Seaford Medical Practice together in a state of the art facility.

"If the Lib Dem leader of the council actually cared about patients locally he would stop his council blocking these improvements for GPs and their patients and get on and spend the government money I secured so that GPs had the space to offer more face to face appointments locally.”

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However, Mr MacCleary called Ms Caulfield's statement a ‘pack of lies’, explaining that the health hub in Newhaven was not 'delayed' and only happening because the council has repurposed the funding.

The district council confirmed there was not a delay to the Newhaven health and wellbeing project, and that it had not been given £100 million for a health centre in Lewes.