This website closed on 1 April 2026
From 1 April 2026, NHS North West London and North Central London Integrated Care Board will join together to become NHS West and North London.
This means our current website (www.nwlondonicb.nhs.uk) has closed.
Visit our new website
From 1 April 2026, please visit the new NHS West and North London website for the latest information, news and updates. The website address is www.westandnorthlondon.icb.nhs.uk
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NHS North West London is working with primary care networks and GPs to develop proposals to improve access in their area. Over the next few months, all of our primary care networks will be expected to work with their patients, residents, communities and stakeholders to consider how well access is working and develop proposals to improve it.
Access to general practice is the issue most raised with NHS North West London by local residents – and the ICB has published two key reports setting out the concerns patients are raising and the good practice data which underpins its approach to improving access.
Over the last 18 months, NHS North West London’s outreach engagement team has spoken with 20-60 community groups a month across our eight boroughs, asking what matters to them. We have also held online conversations with our 3,800-strong Citizens’ Panel and via the Next Door platform, where our posts are opened by up to 20,000 local people.
Feedback from residents is published in our insight reports. A report summarising the feedback specific to access to primary care has now been published. The most consistent point raised is that it is difficult to get a GP appointment and people feel they are waiting too long.
We also know from the national GP Patient Survey (GPPS) results that satisfaction with access to primary care has declined over the last year – for example:
- 49.8% said they found it easy to get through to someone on the phone at their GP practice (52.7% in 2022, down from 67.6% in 2021). This result is at its lowest for the eleven-year period we can measure (80.8% in 2012).
- Over half (54.4%) reported a good overall experience of making an appointment, down from 56.2% in 2022 and now at the lowest level for six years (68.6% in 2018).
- Most patients (86.2%) needed an appointment in the last 12 months. Of those, 27.9% said that they avoided making an appointment because it was too difficult, up from 26.5% in 2022 and compared with 11.1% in 2021
The ICB has also published a report setting out global, national and local examples of good practice relating to primary care access. This report underpins the ICB’s approach to improving access.