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Your GP Services Monthly Overview in West Kent – May 2025

 

Who Are the Patients?

  • West Kent has about 478,000 registered patients.
  • The number of patients has stayed mostly the same over the past year.
  • One practice moved to a different team in April, which caused a small change in numbers.
 

How Many People Had Appointments?

  • Over 210,000 appointments took place in May.
  • About 103,000 of these were with a GP (doctor).
  • 153,000 appointments were face-to-face.
  • 62,000 face-to-face appointments were with a GP.
  • Around 6,200 people missed their appointments (called “DNA” – Did Not Attend).

That means 38% of people in West Kent saw someone at their GP practice in May!

 

Where Are These GP Practices?

West Kent has 49 GP practices, grouped into 9 local teams called Primary Care Networks (PCNs). These teams work together to care for patients in their area.

Yalding Surgery is part of the Weald PCN. Other practices that are part of the Weald PCN include:

  • Howell Surgery, Lamberhurst Surgery, Orchard End Surgery, Old Parsonage Surgery, Marden medical Centre, Old School Surgery, Weald View Medical Practice, Yalding Surgery
 

How Busy Are GP Practices?

  • Most GP practices were very busy in May.
  • Over 70% were working at their highest alert level, meaning they were under a lot of pressure.
 

What’s Happening Across Kent & Medway?

  • GP practices do 95% of NHS patient care, but only get 5% of NHS funding.
  • Since 2018, 54 GP practices have closed in Kent & Medway.
  • We need 142 more GPs to match the national average.
  • Right now, each GP looks after about 2,779 patients.
  • Many GPs are working extra hours, feeling stressed, and struggling with too much work.
  • By 2030, we’ll need 1.7 million more appointments every year to keep up with the growing and ageing population.
 

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Published: Jul 31, 2025