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General Practitioners: Standards

Asked by Patrick SpencerConservativeDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 26 January 2026UIN 106369

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how long the average wait time is in England for a patient to have a GP appointment GP a) by telephone and b) face to face.

Answered by Karin Smyth

NHS England publishes monthly data on general practice appointments. In November 2025, 33.5% of appointments delivered on the same day were conducted face to face, while 52.5% took place by telephone. In terms of the proportion of appointments delivered within two weeks, 58.5% were face to face and 26% were conducted by telephone.

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