Current challenges facing the practice

We are aware of recent feedback, both on social media and directly to the practice, regarding appointment availability and concerns about our waiting room sometimes appearing quiet. We would like to provide some context and explain how services are currently being delivered.

Current challenges facing the practice

Since 1 April 2026, changes to the NHS GP contract have placed greater emphasis on the use of online consultation systems for requesting appointments. As a result, we have experienced a significant increase in demand, particularly for urgent same-day appointments.

To ensure patients receive safe and appropriate care, all appointment requests are reviewed through a clinical triage system. This enables us to prioritise patients according to clinical need and direct them to the most suitable healthcare professional, whether that is on the same day or at a later date.

While this approach helps us manage urgent demand safely, because it carried out by a GP, it has unfortunately led to longer waits for routine pre-bookable GP appointments than we would like. We recognise that this can be frustrating and are actively exploring ways to improve access. We continue to seek opportunities to expand our clinical workforce, including a current campaign to recruit another GP. However, recruitment remains challenging and funding has not increased in line with rising demand.

Why the waiting room may appear quiet

We would like to reassure patients that an empty waiting room does not mean that clinicians are not working or that appointments are being withheld. 

Modern general practice involves far more than face-to-face consultations. At any given time, our GPs and clinical team may be: 

• Conducting telephone consultations 
• Reviewing test results and investigations 
• Managing urgent clinical queries 
• Processing prescriptions 
• Making referrals 
• Reviewing hospital correspondence 
• Completing safeguarding work 
• Attending multidisciplinary team meetings 
• Providing care for housebound patients and those unable to attend the surgery 

Much of this work takes place behind the scenes but is essential to ensuring patients receive safe, timely, and effective care. 

How you can help

There are several ways patients can help us improve access to appointments:

• Non-GP specific services: The surgery offers a range of services aside from GP consultations that, in some cases may best meet your needs. These include First Contact Physiotherapy, Health and Wellbeing coaching and social prescribing services.
• Use Pharmacy First services where appropriate: Community pharmacies can now assess and treat a range of common conditions, including some that may require antibiotics, without the need for a GP appointment. Using these services can help ensure GP appointments remain available for patients with more complex needs. Further information about Pharmacy First
• Cancel appointments you no longer need: Please let us know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend an appointment. Unfortunately, our number of missed appointments remains high. Every missed appointment is a slot that could have been offered to another patient. We understand that symptoms may improve while waiting for a pre-booked appointment. If you no longer require your appointment, cancelling it allows us to offer that time to someone else who may be waiting.

Thank you

Our priority remains providing safe, effective, and compassionate care to all our patients. We appreciate the patience, understanding, and support of our community as we continue to work hard to meet increasing demand and improve access to our services.

Published: Jul 2, 2026