The boys are back in person: face-to-face GP appointments reach new high since February 2020
A project undertaken by NHS Digital has shown that during September 2022, 58.6% of GP appointments nationally were face-to-face, an increase of 9% since September last year. Of those appointments, almost all were booked on the same day. In the North West, the number stands at around 57.6%, similar to the national average.
The study collected data from practices across the country dating back over the past 30 months and the picture is clear- things are improving. There are a great number of factors contributing to this, but it’s important to recognise the efforts of GPs, practice nurses, and other staff who have worked hard to maintain and improve healthcare services for their patients while facing huge challenges and enormous stress.
While this news is positive, the data highlights some other areas of concern including the loss of appointments due to non-attendance. During September 2022, there were 204,201 appointments recorded as ‘DNA’, or did not attend, in the North West alone. Patients may struggle to attend appointments for many reasons including accessibility issues, lack of funds, or poor communication, and missed appointments cost the NHS millions each year.
The appearance of COVID-19 in the UK caused drastic changes to the appointment system, with most moving online and many services having to cancel clinics. GP staff have also needed to space out appointments and allow for strict hygiene and disease control practices to ensure the safety of patients. While entirely necessary, the result has been a backlog of people needing to be seen and concerns over worsening public health. This has put much pressure on a system that was already under strain prior to the pandemic.
Dr Ursula Montgomery, director of primary care at NHS England, said:
"Thanks to the relentless efforts of GP-led teams, tens of millions of people are getting seen by local clinicians across the country, while the highest proportion of face-to-face appointments took place last month since before the pandemic.
‘GP teams also delivered over 858,000 Covid-19 vaccinations last month as the autumn booster rollout started and those eligible for an autumn booster or flu vaccination should continue to come forward to get protected ahead of winter."
To find out more about the project, or just to see the numbers, follow the link below:
