GP appointment waiting times

Request data on how long patients wait for GP appointments at a named practice.

National surveys ask patients about GP access, but practice-level data on actual waiting times is not routinely published. A request to the NHS board can get you the real numbers for your local practice.

Dear [AUTHORITY NAME], Please provide the following information for [PRACTICE NAME] for [QUARTER e.g. January to March 2025]: 1. The average number of days between a patient requesting a routine appointment and being seen. 2. The number of appointments offered during the quarter, broken down by type (face-to-face, telephone, video). 3. The number of appointments where the patient did not attend (DNA rate). 4. The number of days during the quarter when no routine appointments were available to book. I would prefer to receive this as a spreadsheet or CSV if possible. Yours faithfully, [YOUR NAME]
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Who to send it to#

The relevant NHS board. GP practices are contracted by the NHS board, but they are independent contractors - the board only holds the practice-level data it has collected, and may not hold day-to-day appointment-system data. Use the Commissioner’s directory of Scottish public authorities to find the right board for your area. You can also send your request through WhatDoTheyKnow, which publishes responses online.

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Tips#

  • Name a specific practice and a single quarter. Asking for all practices across a board is likely to exceed the cost limit.
  • Scotland’s Health and Care Experience Survey covers patient experience of GP access, but it is based on patient perception, not appointment records. This request asks for the actual operational data - though the board may hold less of it than you expect, because appointment systems sit with individual practices.
  • If the board says it does not hold the data centrally, ask which body does. The practice itself may not be a Scottish public authority, but the board that contracts with it is.
  • If the board says this would exceed the cost limit, drop item 4 and focus on items 1 and 2.