Issued by: Department of Health and Social Care

Boost is part of Plan for Change to rebuild the NHS by shifting healthcare from hospitals into the community and ending the 8am scramble

• More 2,000 extra GPs have now been hired across the country after government action to slash red tape

• Independent survey shows progress on ending the 8am scramble, with patients finding it easier to contact GP practices

• Plan for Change is shifting care out of hospital and into the community as government brings back the family doctor

Millions more GP appointments are now being delivered across the country and an extra 2,000 GPs have been hired nationwide since last October, as the government’s Plan for Change brings back the family doctor.

The average GP is responsible for 2,300 patients, and the new tranche could deliver over four million additional appointments per year.

It comes as encouraging new figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show the number of patients who found it difficult to contact their practice has fallen significantly from 18.7% in July/August 2024 to 10.6% in May/June this year.

A total of 96.3% of patients who tried to contact their practice in the past 28 days were successful, while the number of patients who had a poor experience of their GP practice fell from 15% to 10.9% in the same period.

In May 2025, an extra 12,000 GP appointments were delivered every working day compared to May 2024.

The recruitment boost – which has already delivered an extra 2,000 GPs - forms part of the government’s Plan for Change, which is rebuilding the NHS by shifting healthcare out of hospitals into the community and ending the 8am scramble.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

"We said we’d deliver 1,000 more GPs this year – and we’ve busted that target, bringing 2,000 more GPs on board. With proper investment and reform we are turning the tide on our NHS, and patients are beginning to feel the benefit.

"We still have a long road ahead, and this government is determined to keep our foot on the gas.

"Our Plan for Change will deliver this progress, creating a Neighbourhood Health Service that puts GPs at its heart and makes sure the NHS is there for everyone, whenever they need it."

Last month the government set out its 10 Year Health Plan which outlines the reforms government is driving forwards to get the NHS back on its feet and fit for the future. The plan will train thousands more GPs and create a new Neighbourhood Health Service, so millions of patients can be treated and cared for closer to their homes by pioneering teams - some based entirely under one roof.

When the government came into office last year, unnecessary red tape was preventing practices from hiring newly qualified GPs, meaning more than 1,000 were due to graduate into unemployment.

At the same time, there were also 1,399 fewer fully qualified GPs than a decade prior, with years of underfunding and neglect eroding GP services.

The government took immediate action and invested an extra £82 million to allow networks of practices to hire GPs, with the funding continuing past this year.

This recruitment was made possible by the tough but fair decisions the Chancellor took at the budget to fix the foundations of the NHS, enabling the government to provide almost £26 billion to get the NHS back on its feet and make it fit for the future.

The Plan for Change is already transforming the NHS for patients and staff. Backed by the government’s major cash injection of over £102 million, more 1,000 GP surgeries will receive over £102 million to create additional space to see more patients and deliver 8.3 million more appointments each year.

An extra 4.6 million elective appointments have been delivered since July 2024 - over double the government’s target. The upgraded NHS App will also act as a digital front door to the health service, overhauling how people get advice, manage appointments and interact with services to make their healthcare more convenient and more personalised.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The ONS figures on general practice can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/experiencesofnhshealthcareservicesinengland17july2025

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