GPs deliver another record number of appointments, NHSE figures show

‘Hard working’ GPs have once again delivered a record number of appointments with a sharp uptick in online access, the latest figures from NHS England show.

In the past 12 months, general practice teams have carried out 388 million appointments, an increase of 8.3 million from the previous year, data shows.

Practices have also dealt with 83 million online consultation requests in the past year.

February was a ‘record month’ with 8.6 million online consultation submissions, NHS England said, an increase of 85% from February 2025.

GPs were also dealing with a more than a million phone calls a day in the same month, the figures show.

It comes as a survey found public satisfaction with GP services was the highest since 2021.

Dr Amanda Doyle, NHS England national director for primary care and community services said GP teams were ‘working harder than ever’.

Overall, they delivered more than 1.5 million appointments for patients every working day over the last year, the highest number on record, she added.  

‘In part, this is due to practices now offering patients the choice of contacting them online – with millions more people choosing this route in February compared to last year.

‘We know we still have more to do and it can still be frustrating for patients and practices when people are unable to get through on the phone, particularly first thing in the morning – but increasing online access is helping get rid of that 8am scramble,’ she said.

The British Social Attitudes Survey (BSA) reported earlier this week that overall satisfaction with GP services was 35%, slightly up from the 31% recorded in 2024.

Latest ONS figures also show the that 73.7% of patients now describe contacting their GP practice as easy, up from two-thirds in summer 2024.

However earlier this month, separate polling highlighted that the public believes that ‘too much focus’ on digital and online services is affecting continuity of care in general practice, which is particularly important for those with long-term conditions.

The BMA has previously warned that Government-mandated online access requirements mean GPs ‘sit in front of a screen for hours and hours’, resulting in fewer face-to-face appointments for patients. 

A recent study also found that policies on online GP access and the effort needed to keep systems working are taking staff away from work that would be ‘more effective’.