New NHS figures show general practice has delivered over 7
million more appointments in the past year compared to last year,
taking the total to a record 380 million.
Hardworking GP teams carried out 383.3m appointments in the last
12 months, compared to 375.7m in the previous year.
Figures for June 2025 also show practices delivered 31.4 million
appointments, which is a record for June and nearly a third more
than the same period pre-pandemic (a 31.9% increase).
The data published today comes amid rising patient
satisfaction, with ONS' experiences of NHS healthcare
services in England revealing that 72.4% of people found
contacting their GP practice easy – up from 60% less than a year
ago (September 2024). Furthermore, 72.9% of people rated their
overall GP experience as good, compared with 67.4% last year.
The latest GP Patient Survey also
shows steady gains in public satisfaction: 53% found it easy to
contact their practice by phone (up from 50%), and 49% found the
NHS app easy to use – almost double the 25% figure from the
previous year.
Amanda Doyle, NHS England National Director for Primary
Care and Community Services, 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.”
Health Minister, , said: “We are on a
mission to rebuild our health service and give people better
access to care when they need it.
“By cutting red tape, increasing capacity, and helping GPs spend
less time filling out paperwork, 7 million additional GP
appointments were delivered in the past year - 31.4 million
appointments for June alone – meaning more patients getting time
with their doctor and spending less time on a waiting list.
“Through our 10 Year Health Plan we are shifting care from
hospitals to community. Our Plan for Change will deliver
Neighbourhood Health Services that will put GPs at the heart of
delivering more personalised, proactive care in local areas when
it is more convenient for patients.”
The NHS 10-year
plan also sets out to reduce the administrative burden
on practices by introducing the rollout of ambient voice
technology, digital triage, and a single patient record –
reducing the need for time-consuming tasks like note taking,
letter drafting and manual data entry, so GPs can spend more time
with patients.
Last week, the Government announced that an extra 2,000 GPs have
been recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme
(ARRS).
Notes to editors
- This figure includes PCN appointments and Covid vaccinations
- In June 2025 over 31.4 million appointments were delivered in
general practice. In June 2019 (pre-pandemic), 23.8 million
appointments were delivered.
