Appointments per week

72 Appointments per 1000

Practice Managers often quote a figure of 72 appointments per 1000 patients as a benchmark, but this figure is not specified by the CQC. The CQC provides this guidance:

There is no formula and we do not advise the ratio for the number of appointments a GP practice should offer. Different populations have differing care needs. So you need to consider staffing models, skill mixes, and approaches that are appropriate for your local population.

Appointments are increasingly offered by a range of different professionals.

Modern Practice

Modern GP practices offer diverse appointment types to address patient needs, including in-person, telephone, and online consultations provided by various healthcare professionals:

• GPs: Diagnose complex cases, develop treatment plans, and manage patient care.
• Nurses: Manage chronic illnesses, provide vaccinations, and educate patients on health management.
• Clinical Pharmacists: Conduct medication reviews and provide advice on prescriptions.
• Physician Associates: Assist GPs with examinations, diagnosing conditions, and interpreting test results.
• Physiotherapists: Address musculoskeletal issues with therapy and rehabilitation plans.

This collaborative approach ensures patients receive care tailored to their needs while optimizing the workload across the practice.

Appointment Trends

Research by My Practice Manager, using NHS England data, indicates that many practices fall short of the accepted standard (72 appointments per week). For example, the table below shows that:

• 10%: of practices offer fewer than 30 GP appointments per 1000 patients per week.
• Top 10%: of practices offer the "standard" 72 GP appointments per 1000 patients per week.

Note: Practices vary in how they report appointments. Some count every interaction—no matter how minor—with any staff member as an appointment, while others use a more conservative definition. GP appointment data is generally more reliable, as its definition tends to be more standardized across practices.

Explore the full dataset and compare your practice's performance to the national average here.