GP at his desk

Record appointments delivered and patient satisfaction increases

New NHS data reveals that general practice in England has delivered a record-breaking 383.3 million appointments over the past 12 months — an increase of more than 7 million compared to the previous year.

The figures, published today, highlight the dedication of GP teams across the country, with June 2025 alone seeing 31.4 million appointments — the highest ever recorded for the month. This represents a 31.9% increase compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The surge in appointments comes alongside a notable rise in patient satisfaction, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the GP Patient Survey.

  • 72.4% of people found it easy to contact their GP practice — up from 60% in September 2024 
  • 72.9% rated their overall GP experience as good — up from 67.4% last year 
  • 53% found it easy to contact their practice by phone — up from 50% 
  • 49% found the NHS App easy to use — nearly double the 25% figure from the previous year 

NHS England National Director for Primary Care and Community Services Ashley Dalton said:

“General practice teams have been working exceptionally hard to boost access and turn our services around, with today’s data showing important progress as over 7 million additional appointments were delivered in the past year, taking the total to more than 380 million appointments.

“While services improve and patient satisfaction has started to rise, we know more needs to be done to improve access, which is why we remain committed to working with the government on delivering the 10-year plan to boost access and improve primary care services for patients.”

Record appointments quote

The NHS’s 10-Year Health Plan is playing a key role in transforming general practice. New technologies such as ambient voice tools, digital triage, and a single patient record are being rolled out to reduce administrative burdens and free up more time for patient care.

In addition, the Government recently announced the recruitment of 2,000 additional GPs through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS), further strengthening the primary care workforce.

 

Image credit: iStock

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