The number of GP appointments offered to Essex patients in the month of July rose by more than 1,200 compared to June.
This includes a rise in the number of patients offered ‘urgent’ same-day appointments (75.3%) and more people seeing clinical staff such as nurses and pharmacists, who may be better suited to their needs.
The rise demonstrates a consistent increase in the number of GP appointments offered at Essex practices over a three-month period from May to July, from 863,561 in May to 1,006,092 in June. While patients are helping practices make better use of appointments, with 200 fewer missed in July than in June, more than 32,100 appointments were still missed during July.
People across Essex have told us that faster, easier access to care is one of the things that matters most to them, so it is encouraging to see GP appointments continuing to increase. But every appointment counts: more than 32,100 were still missed in July, equivalent to 2,143 hours of clinical time. By cancelling an appointment you no longer need, you can help us offer that time to someone else waiting for care.
William Guy, Director of Commissioning (Primary Care and Neighbourhood) at NHS Essex