NHS Confederation responds to the latest statistics on GP appointments

Responding to the latest statistics on GP appointments, Ruth Rankine, director of primary care at the NHS Confederation, said:

“These figures highlight once again just how hard primary care continues to work to care for their patients as we emerge from a difficult winter, and with the added knock-on effects of intense strike action elsewhere in the NHS.

“With over 1 million appointments delivered every day in January and nearly 70 per cent of all appointments delivered face to face, it shows yet again whatever the circumstances, staff working in the NHS pull through time and again to ensure their patients get quick and safe care.

“However, we cannot escape the fact that the GP workforce continues to grapple with vast vacancy gaps and increasing workload. To ensure that we continue to truly meet demand for services, we need to retain as many people as possible at the same time as building a clear plan for how we will recruit and train more primary care staff. This we hope will be addressed in the upcoming primary care recovery plan."