RESIDENTS in Bradford are growing increasingly concerned about the time they’re having to wait to see a doctor, it has been claimed.

Some say that it is "virtually impossible" to see a GP in person, pointing out that it’s also difficult to get through on the phone lines.

Councillor Zafar Iqbal (Bradford Moor) slammed what he described as "unsafe" online GP appointments and said virtual consultations introduced to curb the spread of Covid are no longer necessary.

He said: “I have received many complaints from residents in my ward that they are unable to get through to their GP to book an appointment.

“I am aware of a patient who has been trying for over three days to get through and has been ringing at 8am and the line has a busy tone.

“Patients who are lucky to get through are not being offered a face to face appointment but instead a telephone consultation, which causes further problems to patients, in particular, older patients who are unable to express and explain the problem clearly which does not lead to a diagnosis and serious conditions could be overlooked.

“I don’t feel patients have good enough access to primary healthcare.”

One patient from BD3, who did not wish to be named, said: “In a nutshell, you can’t get an appointment, it’s very difficult to even get a phone appointment. The care here for patients is absolutely ridiculous."

He said the current situation had prompted major concerns over delayed diagnosis of serious illnesses, as he had seen in the recent case of a family member.

The Telegraph & Argus put out a post on Facebook to find out how residents in Bradford have been affected.

One reader said she called her doctor’s surgery 56 times to then be told she had to ring back the next day because ‘all of the phone appointments had gone.’

She added that she ‘has anxiety and finds it hard to make phone calls.’

Another added that she had to wait five weeks for an appointment.

Phone appointments are causing issues for people who do not always have access to their phone at work.

One resident commented that because of her ‘customer-facing role’ it means she ‘cannot block out time to take a call from a clinician when they ring’, and therefore can’t access healthcare services.

When the Telegraph & Argus asked NHS Bradford District and Craven CCG for a comment, Dr. James Thomas, clinical chair, said: “Unfortunately the pandemic is not yet over which means GP practices across the district are continuing to work differently.

"Our health services are under enormous pressure, but we are still here to help if needed.we must maintain safe infection control and minimise unnecessary physical contact where possible.

“We kindly ask for patients to continue to be kind to our staff, socially distance where possible and wear a face mask in healthcare settings.”