General practice is facing unprecedented demand, which currently outweighs available capacity. 

In February 2026, there were 63.71 million patients registered with GP practices in England - an increase of almost 7 million people since 2015. At the same time, people are contacting their GP more often than in the past, and many patients now live with multiple or long-term conditions that require ongoing care and support. 

This means GP practices are caring for larger patient lists, an ageing population, and increasingly complex health needs, all while working with a workforce that has not grown at the same pace. 

You may find this short film from Wessex LMC helpful in explaining the wider pressures facing general practice. 

Workforce pressures in general practice 

GP practices rely on a wide clinical and administrative team. However, many practices are currently finding it difficult to recruit and retain staff, including GPs, nurses, and other vital team members. 

When staff are off sick, attending training, or on leave, there are often no spare clinicians available to replace them, which can reduce appointment availability. This is particularly challenging during periods of high demand, such as winter or during outbreaks of seasonal illnesses. 

Funding pressures 

General practice funding has not kept pace with rising costs such as staffing, buildings, utilities and medical supplies. This limits practices’ ability to expand services, recruit additional staff, or open more appointments, despite rising patient demand. 

The hidden work you may not see 

Seeing patients is only part of what GP teams do each day. A large proportion of time is spent on essential clinical work behind the scenes, including: 

This work is vital for safe care, even though it isn’t always visible to patients. With every additional appointment comes additional administration that must be completed.  

Digital access and demand 

Online forms, the NHS App, emails and messages have improved access for many patients and help practices triage requests more safely.  

We welcome this modern approach and try to respond to requests as soon as we can but the majority of this work requires staff to process and manage this work.   

Appointments are increasing 

Despite all of these pressures, it is important to know that GP practices are delivering more appointments than ever before across England. 

However, demand continues to rise faster than capacity, meaning waits for routine appointments can sometimes be longer than any of us would like. 

Information about the appointments we deliver is published monthly on our social media pages.  

We are on your side 

We want the same things as our patients. We believe nobody should struggle to see their family doctor, and we care deeply about our community. 

Our team are working hard every day to provide safe, high-quality care in the face of rising pressure. We continue to be grateful for the support, patience and understanding shown by our patients. 

How you can help 

There are several ways you can support and help us use our resources wisely: 

How we are working to improve services  

At Vine Medical Group we are continually reviewing the service we provide and making changes to improve the patient experience. Although we are limited by the pressures outlined above, we are passionate about ensuring we deliver the highest quality of care to our patients.   

Recently we have: 

What you can expect from us 

All requests for GP appointments or same-day appointments are reviewed by a member of our team and clinically assessed. This means that we can ensure you are booked an appointment with, or signposted to, the appropriate clinician or service.