Number of GP appointments in Rutland up 14% since 2019
There were 6.6 million GP appointments during 2019, and 7.5 million in 2023
The number of GP appointments in Rutland and Leicestershire is up 14% on the pre-covid figure, Rutland County Council says.
According to the integrated care board that runs GP services in Rutland, the increase is part of an NHS recovery plan from the pandemic and a drive to cut waiting lists.
These included giving GPs ‘digital tools’ to manage patients and getting them to visit pharmacies rather than surgeries, as well as increasing GP numbers and appointment slots.
There were 6.6 million appointments during 2019 in Rutland and Leicestershire, and 7.5 million in 2023.
Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Kearns (Con) thanked GPs for improving access to appointments.
She said: “I am aware there is still progress to be made, and I am encouraged by the government’s primary care access recovery plan, which will make it significantly easier for patients to contact their GP and get an appointment when they need one.”
Nationally, 363 million appointments were booked with GPs in Britain in 2023, including 8.8 million covid vaccination appointments – about 51 million more than in 2019.