One in five (19%) people decide not to contact their GP surgery even when they need to, with major reasons being worries over getting an appointment and long waits, according to official data.
An Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey on the impact of winter pressures, carried out last month, shows that people who feel depressed, who live in the most deprived areas of England, and women are significantly more likely to say they abandon plans to contact their GP.
