Figures reveal how long people have been waiting for a GP appointment in Shropshire
More than 8,000 people waited for more than four weeks to get to see a GP in Shropshire, according to new data.
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Health leaders in the county say delays can be down to ‘many factors’ but the longest time lags represent 3.5 per cent of all bookings and that improving access to GP services remains a “top priority.”
Dr Lorna Clarson, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said while any delay in care is concerning it is important to look at the ‘bigger picture.’
Dr Clarson said: “While any delay in care is understandably concerning, it is also important to look at the bigger picture.
“In February 2025, our 50 GP practices across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin delivered nearly a staggering quarter of a million appointments.
“This means an appointment for almost half of our population in one month.
“More than 157,000 of these (over 60 per cent) took place within a week of booking, with almost 115,000 happening on the same day or the following day.”
Dr Clarson said it highlights the “exceptionally high demand” that GP practices are managing and “how hard teams are working to provide quick access to care.”
Dr Clarson added: “The number of people waiting more than 28 days represents just over 3.5 per cent of all appointments for the month.
“This could be due to many reasons, including patients choosing a specific GP or time slot, because their issue was for a routine appointment and was not urgent, or was a follow up appointment after a period of treatment.
“It could also be due to factors outside the control of the practices.
“Improving access to GP services remains a top priority and we continue to work closely with our practices to meet the growing demand and make sure our patients get the care they need, in the right place, at the right time.”
Data from NHS Digital for February 2025 showed how long patients had waited for an appointment between booking and its date.
Fifty of the 51 open GP practices across Shropshire were included in the data.
In that time there were 249,265 appointments, with 114,366 seen within a day, 43,217 between two and seven days, 34,682 took between eight and 14 days to get an appointment, 18,695 took between 15-21 days, 12,769 took between 22-28 days and 8,856 took more than 28 days. Another 201 were classified as unknown/data issues.
