One out of every eight GP appointments in Cornwall during May took place more than three weeks after being booked. There were a total of 371,465 GP appointments in the Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board area in May according to the latest figures from the NHS.

Two thirds of those (65.9 per cent) took place less than a week after being booked, including 45.0 per cent on the same day. That’s compared to a national average of 69.2 per cent within a week and 44.3 per cent on the same day.
Some 12.7 per cent of appointments in our county, however, took place more than three weeks after being booked, which is higher than the national average of 9.8 per cent. But some of the surgeries with the highest percentage of three-week-plus waits also provided the most same day appointments.

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The latest figures show the worst performing for appointment times were:

  1. Brannel Surgery, St Austell, - 32.9 per cent of appointments taking over three weeks (although 34.4 per cent were given the same day
  2. Falmouth Health Centre - 28 per cent more than three weeks; 36.8 per cent same day
  3. The Mullion and Constantine Group Practice, Mullion - 23.6 per cent over three weeks; 40.8 per cent same day
  4. Lander Medical Practice, Truro - 23 per cent more than three weeks; 42.1 per cent same day
  5. Three Spires Medical Practice, Truro - 22.5 per cent more than three weeks; 39.4 per cent same day
  6. Westover Surgery, Falmouth - 21.2 per cent over three weeks; 43.5 per cent same day
  7. Oak Tree Surgery, Liskeard - 20.3 per cent over three weeks; 55.2 per cent same day
  8. Carnon Downs Surgery - 20 per cent over three weeks; 34.5 per cent same day
  9. Harris Memorial Surgery, Illogan - 19.8 per cent over three weeks; 34.1 per cent same day
  10. St Mary'S Health Centre, St Mary's, Isles of Scilly - 19.5 per cent over three weeks; 26.9 per cent same day.

The best were:

  1. Sunnyside Surgery, Penzance - 1 per cent longer than three weeks; 43.6 per cent same day
  2. St Austell Health Group - 3.2 per cent over three weeks; 54.9 per cent same day
  3. Lostwithiel Surgery - 3.2 per cent over three weeks; 30.7 per cent same day
  4. Mevagissey Surgery - 3.8 per cent over three weeks; 26.4 per cent same day
  5. Praze-An-Beeble Surgery - 4.3 per cent over three weeks; 49.5 per cent same day

You can see how long patients typically have to wait for an appointment at your local GP practice and all others using our gadget here:

A spokesperson for Kernow Local Medical Committee - which represents general practice in Cornwall - said: "Local GP practices, like elsewhere in the country, are extremely busy and patients are prioritised according to their clinical needs.

"Cornwall regularly features among the best areas in the country for patient satisfaction with general practice services in the independent national GP Survey - including the types of appointment offered to patients, their needs being met, trust and confidence in the healthcare professional who saw them, and the amount of time spent with them.

"Comparing GP practices should be treated with caution, due to factors like differences in the way they deliver services, the varied composition of their teams, and their ranging patient demographics. GPs are seeing more and more patients with complex needs, who have either been discharged from or are waiting for specialist care, and are dependent on their GP.

"The data also does not reflect other work GPs and their frontline teams do, such as referrals and prescriptions. "Not everyone needs to see a GP, not everyone needs to be seen that day, and not everyone needs to be seen in person.

"Many patients find the availability, convenience and range of services offered by other staff members, such as Advanced Practitioners or Clinical Pharmacists, suitable to their needs."

Dr Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care, NHS England, said: “Millions more appointments are being delivered every month compared to before the pandemic thanks to GP teams.

“Every GP practice is upgrading their telephone systems to make it easier for patients to contact their surgery, while patients can use the NHS app to order repeat prescriptions and view their test results without needing to contact their family doctor.”

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