'I work for the NHS - there's a good reason your GP may always be running late'

A doctor has revealed some of the reasons your GP could be running late - and what you can do.

NHS GP Partner and GP Partner Tim Mercer has taken to TikTok and explained some of the common reasons your appointment could be delayed and what you should do if you are affected by lateness. According to the health expert, the reason doctors are sometimes delayed is because the GP might be talking to someone with a complex medical issue, or multiple issues.

While the length of GP appointments vary across the country, some doctors may offer 10 minute appointment slots. Others, like Dr Mercer, has started holding 15 minute consultations because he recognised "that most of my patients are coming with more complex medical problems" or "more than one problem".

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Dr Mercer, who is known as @drtimmercer on TikTok, recently answered a question from one of his followers: "How late is it acceptable for your GP to run and is there a point in which you just get up and walk out?" In Dr Mercer's case, it depends on the needs of his patient and the group which most frequently uses his surgery.

He admitted that he sometimes still runs late, but a lot less than when he was doing 10 minute appointments. Explaining why, he said: "I've accumulated at my surgery a number of patients with chronic, complex medical conditions who will only see me for an appointment. It's been difficult to get an appointment with me because I've been having to take on more duty doctor and supervisory roles recently, especially with the half term holidays.

"So patients making an appointment with me when they can get one will wait usually two weeks, over which period of time, often their condition waxes and wanes and other things develop and their other symptoms they want to talk about when they finally arrive." Dr Mercer says new symptoms as well as longstanding problems are to be discussed with his patient, which can sometimes take longer than the allotted 15 minutes.

Sick notes, previous referrals and other life updates may also need to be checked on in the short window of time given to patients, and Dr Mercer says this can overlap with other appointments as it sometimes cannot be helped. Unexpected encounters can lead to delays and Dr Mercer says that on one particular day, delays caused a half-hour backlog.

"I send a message to reception to say 'please can you apologise to patients when they arrive and make them a drink because I'm running half an hour late' which reception offered to do. The patient said 'this is f**king ridiculous, why do I phone up at 8am to get an appointment and then he's running half an hour late' and stormed out of the practice."

Dr Mercer, like some of his patients that day, asked if a half hour delay was all that bad, considering an A&E wait can be 12 hours and a "minor injuries unit" can often be backlogged by eight or nine hours. Dr Mercer asked: "Is half an hour wit for a GP that knows you for all your complex conditions and has pledged to see you for as many problems as you can bring really that bad a thing?"

Members of the public have said the wait time may be "annoying" but those who need their appointment should simply wait. One user wrote: "I was in one surgery that could often run 45 minutes late but it was accepted because the GP took the time for every patient where it was needed. It was annoying but if you needed the time you got it." Another added: "As long as the patient is informed at reception I don’t see the problem. If it’s inconvenient they could at least be offered a rescheduled appointment there and then."