General practice teams have delivered a record 33.6 million appointments in July 2025, up 4.3% on the year before and up nearly a quarter on the same period pre-pandemic (24.3% increase since 2019).
Today’s statistics show the NHS is on-track for its busiest summer ever in general practice, with record appointments also delivered in June 2025.
GP teams also carried out high numbers of care home visits this July, with 127,112 carried out, the second highest on record.
Typically, the summer months see a slow-down in NHS activity due to fewer respiratory viruses circulating, like the flu, but this year, practices have been dealing with a surge in people coming forward, making what looks to be the busiest summer in general practice in history.
The data comes as the government continues to make progress in boosting GP numbers, with more than 2,000 extra GPs having been recruited since last October, with 29 more recruited in the last month.
Dr Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said: “General practice teams are busier than ever this summer, and thanks to their hard work we’ve seen another consecutive month of record numbers of appointments being provided to patients.
“This combined with the latest ONS survey showing almost 3 in 4 people found it easy to contact their GP practice – up from six in ten less than a year ago – it’s clear that general practice is starting to turn a corner.
“As we head into the colder months, it’s crucial that people come forward to get vaccinated. Our autumn vaccination campaigns are set to launch over the next couple of weeks, so whether you get an invite directly from your GP practice or find out about your entitlement through the NHS website, it’s crucial that you get vaccinated to protect yourselves.”
Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock said: “GPs are integral to our Plan for Change, playing a vital role in our seismic shift in care from hospital to community and delivering a health service fit for the future.
“Our reforms to bulldoze bureaucracy and cut red tape are boosting productivity and efficiency, delivering more appointments for patients.
“At the same time, we are continuing to boost the GP workforce to deliver patient care closer to home, having recruited more than 2,000 since October.”
West London NHS Trust’s Care Home Service is a unique GP Practice in Ealing, with an extended team that provides enhanced, proactive support to around 1,200 care home residents across the borough living in 20 nursing homes and another 25 residential homes. It delivers planned and reactive care, 12 hours a day, 365 days a year and works with other community services in the borough.
Dr Natasha Griffin, a GP within the Service said: “Visiting patients in care homes regularly means I build strong, trusting relationships with patients, families, and with the care staff, which is essential for delivering personalised care. Being able to support Ealing residents in familiar surroundings has helped to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and support them to remain in the place they know best.”
