NHS welcomes record numbers of GP appointments
NHS HAMPSHIRE & IOW have welcomed by recent statistics that show a record number of GP appointments have been delivered across the region each month during the most recent winter period; which is due to improved assess with support of specialist teams.
October 2025 saw the highest number of GP appointments on record with more than 1.2 million delivered in a single month. Appointment numbers have remained consistently high into the new year with demand in January and February continuing to be high; the average being over a million appointments across Hampshire and Isle of Wight for the first time.
While GPs are still the core of practice teams, they are now supported by a wide range of skilled professionals. Depending on their needs, patients may be offered an appointment with a specialist such as a mental health practitioner, a paramedic, an advance nurse practitioner, a pharmacist, a physiotherapist, or a dietician.
These are all experts who are specially trained to provide advice, diagnosis, and treatment for patients. This approach not only improves access but also helps ensure patients get the right care sooner, reduces pressure on GPs, and expands the range of services available closer to home. They can also offer more specialist advice and care for conditions that GPs could not do alone.
Director of Primary Care & Local Care, James Roach said: “Demand for primary care continues to grow and our practices are responding by working more collaboratively than ever before. General practice today is delivered by a skilled multidisciplinary team and that means patients can often be seen more quickly by the professional best placed to help them.
“As well as improving access, we are strengthening our focus on prevention, helping people stay well for longer and shifting our efforts from treating sickness to preventing it. We are incredibly proud of the progress being made and the commitment our teams show every day to meeting the needs of our communities. We would also like to thank our patients for willing to engage with new services.”
In addition, more patients are using the Community Pharmacy First Programme with 26% more appointments in community pharmacy for minor illness than the year before. If they are confident using a smart phone or computer they can book or cancel routine non urgent consultations and appointments, order repeat prescriptions, and see their test results online.
If patients use the NHS App, turn on notifications so the practice can contact you more easily. Options to call the practice directly remain for those patients who are unable to access online services. Readers can also find out more information about the services available by exploring the ‘It Takes a Team’ campaign;
This was launched in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight back in March 2025 to highlight the brilliant people working in our GP practices. It can be seen via this online link and further includes details about how people could get involved across the region.
PICTURED BY NHS HAMPSHIRE & IOW: The region has seen record numbers of GP appointments being delivered in the recent winter period, with over one million being completed each month from October 2025.
