More appointments are available for patients at local general practices

General practices in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes are offering more appointments than a year ago, according to new figures released by NHS England.

The data – covering December 2024 to February 2025 – show that patients made over 1,593,000 appointments, compared with 1,376,000 in the same period a year earlier, an increase of 15.7% in the number of slots available.

The figures also show that 44% of appointments were provided on the same day as they were booked, compared with 40% a year earlier.  More than two-thirds of appointments were face-to-face.

Nicky Poulain, chief primary care officer at Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said:

“The statistics continue to show that NHS professionals are working ever harder to offer appointments to local patients.

“Just over half of appointments were with a professional other than a GP.  We want to make sure that patients are offered an appointment with the most appropriate professional at the earliest opportunity.

“If you have a musculoskeletal complaint, for example, it makes sense for you to be able to book an initial consultation with a physiotherapist or other suitable professional.  This allows practices to make the best use of all professionals’ expertise and time, freeing up GPs to deal with patients who need more complex care.

“Unfortunately, in any three month period, on average over 60,000 people do not attend their booked appointment.  That means that around one appointment in every 27 is wasted.

“Every time someone does this, it means another patient is unable to get the care they need, so we are making a plea: if you make an appointment but you either can’t attend or you no longer need it, please cancel in good time so that your practice can offer it to someone else.”