People across the Black Country are benefiting from more GP appointments than ever before, according to the latest NHS data.
New figures show that GP surgeries in the Black Country provided significantly more appointments in 2024/25 compared to the previous year.
In November 2024, appointments increased by 6.5%, and in December 2024, there was a huge 18% rise compared to the same time in 2023.
This means thousands more people are getting the help they need from local GP practice teams, which now include a range of healthcare professionals. This could be for a health concern, medication review, or important follow-up for care.
In addition, patients in the Black Country are being seen much quicker. In December 2024, 86.6% of patients got an appointment within two weeks, which is better than the national average of 82.7%. Impressively, over half of appointments (50.7%) took place on the same day patients contacted their GP practice.
Dr. Ananta Dave, Chief Medical Officer for NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: "We’re really pleased to see that more people across the Black Country are able to access appointments with their GP teams quickly.
“General practice is working hard to meet the needs of our communities, and this increase in availability shows the dedication of staff in making sure patients get the care they need, when they need it."
The figures come from the NHS General Practice Appointment Data (GPAD), which is tracked nationally and locally through a dashboard powered by Microsoft Power BI.
