Hampshire and the Isle of Wight saw nearly 75,000 more GP appointments in September 2025 than in the same month last year, an NHS board meeting heard earlier this week (Wednesday).
Lara Alloway, chief medical officer at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, told the forum at Omega House in Eastleigh of the “massive”, almost 8% increase, over half of which were “face to face”.
In March, an update paper on primary care access issued by the integrated care board (ICB) flagged a 700,000 increase in appointments in 2024 compared to the year before.
Ms Alloway said:
“A huge amount going on in primary care. In general practice, colleagues have raised the concern around, from 1st October that online services need to be switched on between 08:00 and 18:30.
“And that I’m pleased to say has been achieved across our system in 121 of 128 of our practices – the 7 who are struggling are being supported to achieve that and are close to being able to.
“That is meaning quite a lot of change in GP surgeries in order to manage online triage, getting people to the right person, but also having their doors open so that people can walk in and book or be directed to where they need to go.
“Overall, there were 75,000 more GP appointments…in this last September compared to the September before which is massive so massive thank you to everyone in general practice.”
Article continues below this advertisement
In September, James Roach, director of primary care and local care at the ICB, said GPs in the region were “working harder than ever before” and seeing “record numbers of patients each week”.
Interesting story , not entirely true though. Trying to get a face to face appointment with a GP is very difficult in my case. I know of others in a similar position.
The ICB have their rose tinted glasses on again
The NHS and GP Surgeries should go back to
pre pandemic times.
Thesedays there is too much shirking and not
enough working.
How can NHS staff be fully effective if they are
still allowed to work from home.
The pandemic is over!, time to go back to work and
earn your money.
People keep moaning about pensioners and people on
benefits
WHAT ABOUT MOANING ABOUT ALL THE PUBLIC
SECTOR EMPLOYEES WHO ARE BEING PAID TO DO
NOTHING!
You really are blinkered; there’s a modern policy of working across all sectors in the UK of flexible or hybrid working. Admin generally, pharmaceutical sometimes in the NHS but not patient-facing. Why? Because it saves on office costs, heating and is better for employees, some of whom would suffer from this like sick building syndrome (think overhead lights etc) which contribute to sick days of staff. As for not earning their money, all remote IT jobs are clock-in/clock out and logged time away from computers is monitored…meaning that ‘slacker’s would be outed quite quickly. They are all being paid to do their jobs.
Yet another example of statistics covering Hampshire and the Isle of Wight being misleading. The Island is not part of Hampshire and stand alone figures for the Island would tell a different story.
How many of these figures relate to the ISLE OF wight? I am registered at Cowes Medical practice, but have been unable to arrange any kind of appointment online the webpage always says it is not taking appointments.
‘Hampshire and the Isle of Wight saw nearly 75,000 more GP appointments’ So, 74,995 in Hampshire and 5 on the Isle of Wight?
The island is laid back.
Really??? 3 1/2 week wait for an appointment at tower house surgery. Even though their website states 2 weeks for routine appointments. Why do they keep misleading people. It has been longer than 2 weeks wait for over a year at least. In the end going private was the only viable option. Honestly I think the doctors these day are very quick to hush you out the door assuming it’s just something mild. Within 1 year we have have 3 lots of cancer in the family, all due to misdiagnosed illnesses, and then it’s too late. The NHS may be great for some. But I think it’s time the NHS is dissolved and people use their own national insurance payments for private healthcare.