HealthSay analysis suggests that an overwhelming 97% of Londoners have a better GP within 2 miles of their current practice, equating to over 10 million people. Nationally, this number rises to 47 million people (76%).

This has potentially major implications for patient satisfaction, patient choice and wider health inequalities. With overall patient satisfaction declining, and 51% of people avoiding booking GP appointments, such variation signifies a remarkable opportunity for most Londoners to switch to a better quality provider.

The finding that 97% of Londoners have a better GP within 2 miles is based on a composite GP practice score, which analyses recently published patient survey data alongside the number of patients per GP to derive an overall score per practice.

Specifically, it considers two key questions asked: “Overall, how would you describe your experience of making an appointment?” and “Overall, how would you describe your experience of your GP practice?”.

Patient responses to these questions are then combined according to various weightings to provide an overall indication of patient satisfaction.

Notably, even when these component factors are analysed separately, the conclusions are the same. 97% of Londoners have, within 2 miles, an alternative GP practice where it is easier to book an appointment. Similarly, 97% of Londoners have an alternative GP within 2 miles with greater overall patient satisfaction. Even if we constrain it down to just 1 mile, the percentages are still a staggering 89% in both cases.

This demonstrates significant disparities in patient care across London’s GPs. Combined with London’s dense population, and the ease with which you can switch GPs, it suggests that millions of people are missing out on improved primary care.

At a national level, 91% of people have another GP where it is easier to book an appointment less than 5 miles away. The same goes for finding another GP with a better overall patient experience, with 57 million registered patients having an improved alternative less than 5 miles away.

These figures are based on GP data released by the NHS this July and results from the annual GP Patient Survey commissioned by NHS England, which surveyed 760,000 patients at the start of 2023. Of these respondents, 71% said they had a good overall experience with their GP. 54% viewed the process of booking appointments to be ‘good’, while at the same time 51% said that they avoided trying to book an appointment. The most common reasons for this are because it is too difficult or because they did not want to use up the NHS’s scarce resources.

One important caveat to note though is that patient satisfaction is not necessarily indicative of better care quality. Likewise, different patients may weigh various factors differently, valuing services such as the availability of online or weekend appointments more than others. Nevertheless, the underlying trend is clear: millions of NHS patients may be missing out on better primary care.

Switching GPs is increasingly straightforward, and so this does not need to be the case. You can read our guide on how to switch GPs, and use our search service to find the best GP practice for you.

*According to the 2023 GP Patient Survey