New NHS data shows how GP surgeries are performing, outlining the best and worst practices for getting an appointment. 

The NHS England data from February shows the waiting times between getting booked in for an appointment and being seen by a GP in Swindon.

The top three busiest GP practices were Westrop Medical Practice, which is made up of six surgeries, Kingswood surgery in Park North and North Swindon.  

The least busy were Phoenix surgery, Park Lane and Whalebridge practice.

For appointments offered within the same day, Westrop Medical Practice, Kingswood Surgery and Ridge Green Medical Practice in Shaw were among the best-performing surgeries.

Meanwhile, the practices to score lowest on GP appointments offered within the same day were Pheonix, Old Town and Elm Tree in Shrivenham.

A spokesperson from Bath & North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care Board said: “More than 548,000 GP appointments were carried out across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire during February of this year, with just under half of all these consultations taking place on the very day the patient contacted their surgery.

“This is testament to the continual hard work of all those working in primary care, each of whom is committed to ensuring that those most in need get the help they require from the most appropriate clinician – be it a GP, nurse or other healthcare professional – as quickly as possible.”

Whalebridge Practice, Phoenix surgery and Ashington House Surgery had the lowest number of patients waiting two to seven days to see a GP, whereas Kingswood Surgery, North Swindon Practice and WestropSurgery had the most patients waiting up to a week.

In February, there were also more than 200 cases where patients waited more than 28 days to see a GP at Hawthorn surgery, Ashington House surgery and Westrop Medical Practice.

But Whalebridge Practice, Phoenix Surgery and The Lawn Medical Centre were amongst the practices where GPs saw all patients within 28 days.

The Integrated Care Board spokesperson added: “During the same time, however, around 15,000 booked appointments, which is equivalent to approximately 2,500 clinical hours, went to waste due to patients failing to attend.

“People unable to attend their GP appointments are kindly asked to cancel in advance as early as possible so that the slot can be offered to somebody else in need of face-to-face care.”