GPs in London: The top ten surgeries with the longest waits for appointments

Patients at some doctor’s surgeries in London have to wait far longer for appointments than at others, NHS figures show.

The data shows how many patients had to wait more than four weeks for an appointment at their local practice in October, revealing the strain many surgeries are under.

It comes amid increasing pressure on the NHS as nurses and paramedics prepare to go out on strike over pay, conditions and patient safety fears.

Across England, nearly half of appointments in October (49%) took place on the day they were booked, analysis of the NHS Digital data found.

However, 640,000 appointments - 3% of the total - took place more than 28 days later.

These are the ten GP practices across London with the highest percentage of appointments involving waits of more than 28 days.

Practices which had fewer than 100 appointments in October have been omitted.

• At Grove Park Surgery, in Hounslow, 24.6% of appointments in October took place more than 28 days after they were booked;
• At the Green Wood Practice, in Havering, 24.3% of appointments in October took place more than 28 days after they were booked;
• At Pickhurst Surgery, in Bromley, 23.4% of appointments in October took place more than 28 days after they were booked;
• At Grove Road Surgery, in Haringey, 19% of appointments in October took place more than 28 days after they were booked;
• At Dr DP Shah’s Practice, in Barking and Dagenham, 18.1% of appointments in October took place more than 28 days after they were booked;
• At Seven Kings Practice, in Redbridge, 16.8% of appointments in October took place more than 28 days after they were booked;
• At Ealing Park Health Centre, in Ealing, 16.6% of appointments in October took place more than 28 days after they were booked;
• At the Rosewood Medical Centre, in Havering, 16.5% of appointments in October took place more than 28 days after they were booked;
• At St Katherine’s Dock Practice, in Tower Hamlets, 16.3% of appointments in October took place more than 28 days after they were booked;
• And at the Albion Surgery, in Bexley, 15.2% of appointments in October took place more than 28 days after they were booked.

This didn’t include appointments usually booked in advance, such as medication reviews. In some surgeries, the proportion of patients waiting more than four weeks was far higher.

Several factors influence the length of time a patient has to wait for an appointment, including availability at the practice, patient availability and the urgency of the issue.

The British Medical Association (BMA), the trade union for doctors, said the monthly figures were the “highest level of GP appointments on record”.

And the Royal College of GPs said the figures showed “how hard GPs and their teams are working to deliver increasingly complex care to a growing number of patients, against a backdrop of severe workforce shortages”.

On the NHS strikes, health secretary Steve Barclay previously said: “Our priority is keeping patients safe.

“The NHS has tried and tested plans in place to minimise disruption and ensure emergency services continue to operate.”