More than 2,000 people in Blackburn waited 28 days to see a GP in October, new data from NHS shows.
The data shows more people are waiting a month for a GP appointment than any other time since 2017.
In Blackburn, 2,285 people faced a wait of 28 days or more to see a GP in October alone and a further 8,373 people had to wait more than two weeks.
Responding to the staggering data, Blackburn MP Kate Hollern has called on the Government to abolish non-dom status to pay for training of doctors and nurses.
She said: “2,285 patients in Blackburn are waiting more than a month for a GP appointment.
"I've heard from so many constituents who are finding it impossible to see a GP when they need to.
“Today I voted for a serious plan to train a new generation of doctors and nurses, paid for by abolishing non-doms. 80 per cent of those using the non-dom loophole are living in London or the South East. It's only reasonable that people who live here should pay taxes here.
“A Labour government will put patients first and get them seen on time again.”
Earlier this year, it was reported that patient satisfaction of Blackburn with Darwen GPs was the lowest it had ever been since 2018.
At the same time, the number of GPs across England has fallen to a record low, leaving patients in a desperate scramble to be seen. Since 2013, 4,600 GPs have been cut.
The findings come as MPs prepare to vote on a motion proposed by the Labour Party to abolish the non-dom tax status, which allows some wealthy people who live in Britain to pay their taxes overseas, to pay for training a new generation of NHS staff.
Labour’s plan claims that patients will be guaranteed a face-to-face appointment with a GP if they want one.
The party is also pledging to bring back the family doctor, so patients can see the same GP each appointment if they choose to. Patients are increasingly unable to see the doctor of their choice, with two in every three patients rarely or never speaking to their preferred doctor, up from just half in 2018.
Wes Streeting MP, Shadow Health Secretary and Kate Hollern MP, said: “Patients in Blackburn are finding it impossible to see a GP when they need to. Among those thousands waiting more than a month or not getting an appointment at all, there will be conditions going undiagnosed until it is too late.
“Twelve years of Conservative failure to train the staff our NHS needs has left it with thousands fewer GPs, and patients are paying the price. Meanwhile the Conservatives are protecting the non-dom tax status, allowing people who live in Britain to pay their taxes overseas. We need doctors and nurses, not non-doms.
“Labour will train a new generation of doctors and nurses, paid for by abolishing non-doms. Patients need doctors’ appointments more than the wealthiest need a tax break.
“Patients should be able to see the doctor they want, in the manner they choose, when they need to. Labour will put patients first and get them seen on time again.”
Dr Peter Gregory, associate medical director for NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), the organisation that plans and buys health services for the region, has responded to the new NHS data.
He said: “The GP appointment data released by NHS Digital is the first time it has been issued publicly at practice level and is still considered to be experimental at this stage. While it demonstrates increasing patient demand it doesn’t provide a full picture of day-to-day activity which takes place in GP practices.
“Most GP practices have a triage system in place which will identify those with an urgent health need and prioritise them for a quicker appointment. While we appreciate it is not ideal, anyone waiting a month will most likely be waiting for a routine and non-urgent appointment.
"It is also worth considering that in some cases a practice may offer routine appointments four weeks in advance, or appointments that take place once per month, and such appointments have been included in this data.
“In reality, general practice teams are delivering up to 10 per cent more appointments than pre-pandemic levels. Around 66 per cent of appointments are in person, with two fifths taking place on the same day.
"Most practices also now offer a range of health professionals to meet patients’ needs. Our colleagues across general practice are working extremely hard to treat and care for patients as quickly as possible and to the highest possible standards.”
