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<p>Health is a devolved matter. As such, the answer refers to England only.</p><p>
</p><p>There is no recommendation for how many patients a general practitioner (GP)
should have as the demand each patient places on their GP is different and can be
affected by various factors, including rurality and patient demographics. When considering
the ratio of GPs to patients it is important to consider GPs as part of the wider
multidisciplinary team. Getting the skills mix right in general practice is critical
in addressing workload pressures as well as in delivering appropriate patient care.
NHS England has committed to providing funding towards up to 20,000 additional staff
by 2023/24.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has committed to growing the workforce by
5,000 additional full time equivalent doctors in English general practice as soon
as possible. NHS England and Health Education England are working together with the
profession to increase the GP workforce. This includes measures to boost recruitment,
address the reasons why GPs are leaving the profession and encourage GPs to return
to practice.</p><p> </p><p>The national data for time between booking an appointment
with a general practice and having the appointment in days is attached. A 12-month
average from June 2018 - May 2019 has also been presented. NHS Digital’s ‘Appointments
in General Practice’ data is published monthly with a two-month time lag.</p><p> </p><p>The
appointments data does not differentiate between emergency and routine appointments
in general practice and the ‘time from booking to appointment’ does not take into
consideration that many patients will be appropriately booking ahead as part of the
continuity of care they receive for long-term conditions.</p><p> </p><p>The data on
GP appointments are from a new data collection and are still experimental therefore
the data and collection method are still being refined and improved. Whilst these
early datasets published by NHS Digital do not yet represent a comprehensive picture,
they are an important key step in understanding pressures on primary care. NHS England,
NHS Digital and the Government are working closely with GPs to understand how the
data on GP appointments can be refined to improve the overall picture of primary care
activity.</p><p> </p><p>The average GP consultation time with a patient is determined
by each practice, depending on the needs and demands of their patient list. The amount
of time GPs spend with their patients is not collected or held centrally.</p>
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