Our commitment to patients
Dear Patient,
GPs and their practice teams provide the vast majority of NHS care outside of hospitals, supporting you and your family throughout your lives.
In an ideal world, we want to be able to offer every patient:
• Safety – prompt access to a GP or practice nurse you trust, with well-staffed surgeries and enough resources so that no patient feels left behind.
• Stability – a family doctor who knows you, your medical history, and your community – without the stress of struggling to get an appointment.
• Hope for the future – care that keeps you well, not just treats illness, with more time for meaningful consultations, joined-up support closer to home, and modern premises with safe and effective technology.
We aim to respond to all appointment and advice requests promptly, prioritising those most in need. Sometimes we may need to offer you an appointment on another day or direct you to another suitable service.
Please note:
• Urgent requests are available until our safe working capacity limit has been reached for that day. If something is urgent and you cannot submit an online request, please call us.
• Prioritising urgent cases may mean that routine appointments take longer to arrange.
• Allowing unlimited online requests during core hours may require hospital-style waiting lists to keep demand manageable.
We also face challenges beyond our control, including:
• hospital delays and long waiting lists, meaning we are managing symptoms for longer
• national GP workforce shortages
• staff time needed for compulsory NHS training
• unforeseen events and public health emergencies
• slow or outdated NHS IT systems
So please bear with us – and thank you for your support as we continue to do our very best for you and your family.
On 19 August 2025, NHS England published You and Your General Practice (YYGP) to “help patients understand what to expect from their GP surgery" and how to get the best from their GP team. This can be found here: