Patient experiences of general practice care

Satisfaction with GPs

Patients continue to rate the care they receive from their GP highly. More than 88% of patients report their GP always or often spent enough time with them, 94% reported their GP showed respect, and more than 91% said their GP listened carefully.² Results from the PaRIS report highlight that a continuous relationship with a GP is core to a positive experience for the patient. Patients who saw the same GP for more than a year tended to rate their care more highly and had more trust in their GP.³

Time spent with patients

The average time GPs spend with their patients continues to increase. Between 2024 and 2025, the average time GPs report spending with their patients has increased from 18.7 minutes to 19.7 minutes. Since 2022, the average time GPs report spending with patients has increased by 11%.

Consistent with previous years, female GPs spend more time with their patients (average of 21 minutes compared to 18 minutes for male GPs). As shown in Figure 5, a much greater proportion of female GPs spend 16 minutes or more with their patients. This may reflect the types of patient presentations female GPs are more likely to see, such as mental health appointments and women’s health.

Wait times for care

Fewer people now report they waited longer than they felt acceptable to see a GP. In 2023–24, 28% of people reported waiting longer than they felt acceptable to get an appointment with a GP, a decrease from 29.6% in 2022–23.2 More than half of the population (54.2%) can access urgent medical care from a GP within 24 hours.² This figure has not changed between 2022–23 and 2023–24, despite GPs reporting they spend more time with patients and increased concerns around rising patient complexity (see Chapter 4).