Health and Care Experience Survey 2025 to 2026: National Report

Experience of GP Practice

Overall care

Positive rating of overall care from GP Practice increased between 2021 to 2022 (67%) and 2025 to 2026 (71%), but it remains below pre-pandemic levels (79%).

Figure 1: Proportion of people rating the overall care provided by the GP Practice as positive (“Excellent” or “Good”), neutral (“Fair”), or negative (“Poor” or “Very poor”), survey year ending 2018 to survey year ending 2026, weighted percentages.

Contacting the GP Practice and opening hours

The survey asked participants when they had last contacted the GP Practice named on the survey letter. In 2025 to 2026, 82% of respondents had contacted the named GP Practice in the last twelve months, the same as in 2023 to 2024.

78% of people found it very easy or fairly easy to contact their GP Practice in the way that they wanted.

Figure 2: Proportion of people finding it “Very easy” or “Fairly easy” to contact their GP Practice in the way they wanted, survey year ending 2018 to survey year ending 2026, weighted percentages.

83% of people were happy with the opening hours of their GP Practice, a slightly higher percentage compared with 2023 to 2024 (82%). This percentage is calculated excluding the people who answered that they did not know what the opening hours were.

Advance booking

52% of the respondents reported they are able to book appointments at their GP Practice three or more working days in advance. This is a higher proportion compared with 2023 to 2024 and 2021 to 2022 (50% and 48% respectively), but lower than in 2019 to 2020 (64%).

Mode of appointment

The proportion of face-to-face GP appointments increased between 2021 to 2022 (37%) and 2025 to 2026 (72%), but remains below pre-pandemic levels (87%).

Figure 3: Mode of the last appointment with GP Practice, survey year ending 2020 to survey year ending 2026, weighted percentages.

Note: ‘Other’ includes: home visits, videocalls, via email or instant message, and other ways. People who were not offered an appointment were excluded from the results.

Waiting time

23% of people felt that the time they waited for their appointment took too long.

Figure 4: How people feel about how long they waited for their appointment, survey year ending 2026, weighted percentages.

Urgent consultations

People were asked how long they waited the last time they needed to see or speak to a doctor or a nurse from their GP Practice quite urgently.

• 84% were able to see or speak to a doctor or a nurse from their GP Practice within 2 working days
• 16% waited more than 2 working days to see or speak to a doctor or nurse
• These proportions were the same in 2023 to 2024, and similar in 2021 to 2022 (85% and 15%) and 2019 to 2020 (86% and 14%).

Receptionists and arrangements for getting to speak to a healthcare professional

72% of people rated the quality of information provided by the receptionist as good or excellent (71% in 2023 to 2024), while 9% rated it as “poor” or “very poor” (the same as in 2023 to 2024).  

32% of respondents rated the arrangements to speak to a mental health professional as poor or very poor.

Figure 5: Arrangements to speak to health care professionals, survey year ending 2026, weighted percentages.

70% agreed or strongly agree with the statement “The healthcare professional knew my medical history”.

Figure 6: Person-centred care statements, survey year ending 2026, weighted percentages.