Claim: GPs are treating 200,000 fewer patients on Fridays with appointment availability getting progressively worse during the week.
Fact-check: Daily Mail report on GPs seeing fewer patients on Fridays needs more context - Full Fact
Verdict: this figure is correct for july 2021 in england, but comes with important caveats. the drop in appointments on friday is more marked when compared with monday, when gps are busiest, rather than the rest of the week. the friday drop is also a longstanding one, and the figures can't tell us about "availability" or how appointment supply compares with demand.
Organisation: Full Fact
Author: Tom Norton
Date published: 2021-10-13T00:00:00