GP appointments edge higher as rapid response steadies
Primary care access in London strengthened modestly across 2024–25, with GP practices recording 4.2 million appointments in September 2025 and a higher share delivered face to face, while urgent community response teams sustained fast turnarounds, indicating incremental gains in access and flow on both fronts.
NHS England’s “Appointments in General Practice” shows London logged 4.2 million appointments in September 2025, of which 69% were face to face and 45% took place on the same day they were booked, compared with 70% and 44% respectively across England in the same month, pointing to a small capital–national gap that has narrowed since spring 2025.
Across the year-to-date window, London GP practices recorded 24.8 million appointments from April to September 2025, a 2% lift on the same six months of 2024, with median waiting time holding at two days; the combination of rising volumes and stable waits suggests capacity and booking pathways have absorbed demand without lengthening delays.
Community services data add a complementary angle: the urgent community response (UCR) two-hour standard in London reached 86% in the quarter April–June 2025, up from 83% in April–June 2024, according to NHS England’s UCR dashboard for integrated care boards, keeping more people at home and reducing avoidable handoffs into hospital-led care.
Together the rates and counts indicate steady productivity and access: 4.2 million September 2025 GP appointments in London (69% face to face, 45% same day), 24.8 million appointments across April–September 2025 with a two-day median wait, and an 86% two-hour UCR achievement in Q1 2025/26 against 83% a year earlier.
Figures are drawn from NHS England “Appointments in General Practice” (September 2025 monthly release, covering April–September 2025 for year-to-date comparisons) and NHS England’s Urgent Community Response metrics for integrated care boards (Q1 2025/26 and Q1 2024/25).
