More and more primary care appointments are being seen by non-GPs, latest data show
What is this?
It’s a map of England split by the 14 NHS England sub-regions.
What does it show?
It highlights the proportion of general practice appointments in October 2018 that were seen by other practice staff members, including practice nurses.
What does it mean for me?
Some areas are far more reliant than others on their non-GP staff, and practice nurses especially. This is either because of a shortage of GPs or an abundance of practice nurses.
The average percentage for the month was just over 47%, but there are regions where non-GP staff are conducting more appointments than GPs. Yorkshire and the Humber, and Lancashire and South Cumbria score particularly highly here.
London is the lowest, but traditionally has the fewest problems when it comes to filling vacant GP posts, relative to other areas where GPs may be in short supply.
