Two million increase in GP appointments

Two million more GP appointments a month are being delivered for patients compared to the same month before the pandemic as part of the NHS primary care access recovery plan.

New NHS data shows more than 25.7 million appointments (excluding Covid vaccinations) were delivered by GP practices in December 2023, an increase of 9 per cent compared to pre-pandemic.

The increase in appointments follows an NHS targeted support programme for GP practices to improve access for patients with one GP practice in Warwickshire reducing the number of abandoned calls to their practice by 90 per cent.

Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England national director for primary care and community services said the data shows "incredible progress from hardworking teams across the country" and that they are determined to make it easier to access services around people’s busy lives.

Abbey Medical Centre in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, used data provided by their new upgraded telephone system to identify when telephone lines were busiest and to ensure more reception staff were available at peak times.

The practice also targeted their most frequent callers by offering vulnerable patients more support from the same clinicians, with their appointment usage reducing by three-quarters.

The Primary access recovery plan published by the NHS and Government in May encouraged more than 8 in 10 GP practices to upgrade their telephone systems with the remaining practices signed up to make the move by March.

The blueprint also gives people more choice in how they access care, with more than 10,000 pharmacies now treating people for seven common conditions such as sinusitis, sore throat, and shingles.

The action is expected to free up to 10 million GP appointments a year. With 80 per cent of people in England living within a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy, the move hopes to give the public more choice in where and how they access care.

In December, more than two fifths of appointments were booked and attended on the same day, up 3.1 per cent on the previous month.

Every GP practice must offer face-to-face appointments as well as telephone and online consultations, with some patients choosing remote appointments where it is clinically appropriate.

Today’s data shows more than 3 in 5 GP appointments were delivered face-to-face in December.