Kent and Medway GP Appointments – November 2025

Data published: December 2025
Source: NHS Digital
Population covered: 2,044,050 people

GP appointment activity

In November 2025 across Kent and Medway:

  • Total GP surgery appointments: 900,764

  • Appointments with a GP: 396,040

  • Percentage of all appointments that were face to face: 70%

  • Percentage of GP appointments that were face to face: 58%

This means that around 50% of the population of Kent and Medway had an appointment in general practice during November 2025.

GP practice teams are working hard – why are they so busy?

GP practices across Kent and Medway are under significant pressure due to several factors:

  • Kent and Medway has the third lowest number of GPs per head of population in England

    • In Medway and Swale, there are 3,833 patients per full-time GP

    • The Kent and Medway average is 2,702 patients per full-time GP

  • Practices are dealing with the impact of a large backlog of work from secondary (hospital) care

  • GPs are managing a significant rise in patients with mental health conditions

  • GP teams are supporting patients while they wait for hospital care

  • The number of registered patients is increasing by approximately 2,500 people each month

  • Since 2018, the number of GP practices in Kent and Medway has fallen by 55

How can you help?

There are several ways patients can help GP practices provide care more effectively:

  • Get the right treatment when you need it.
    Stop, think and choose the most appropriate service using local health information

  • If you are waiting for hospital treatment, please contact the hospital directly to check waiting times

  • Please be kind to practice staff, who are working very hard to support patients

  • You may not always need to see a GP — reception teams can guide you to the most appropriate healthcare professional

  • In November, 40,290 people did not attend their GP appointments
    If you can no longer attend an appointment, please cancel it so the time can be used for another patient in need

Published: Jan 5, 2026