More GP appointments offered to Luton patients according to new report

In 2025/26, 1,555,312 healthcare appointments were offered to patients by general practice teams, compared to 1,369,305 in 2024/25, an information document from the Central East integrated care board (ICB) stated.

But the number of patients registered with a GP in Luton decreased by 0.7 per cent from 280,230 residents in March 2025 to 278,194 in March 2026, the borough council’s scrutiny health and social care review group is being told.

“In 2025/26. 89.9 per cent or 1,398,481 out of 1,555,312 appointments offered to patients by general practice teams were attended, compared to 88.8 per cent or 1,216,041 out of 1,369,305 appointments in 2024/25.

“This is an increase of 1.1 per cent in attended appointments, with an overall 89.8 per cent of all general practice team appointments attended by patients in Luton in March 2026, compared to the national average attendance of 89.6 per cent.

“During 2025/26, 71,335 appointments weren’t attended, while 85,496 appointments had an ‘unknown’ outcome, compared to 68,491 appointments unattended in 2024/25 with 84,773 as an ‘unknown’ outcome.

“The appointments offered and delivered data trends show that although the resident population in Luton registered with a general practice is gradually decreasing, the number of appointments being offered and delivered to patients continues to increase each year.”

Achieving 90 per cent same-day appointments for clinically urgent patients is a 2026/27 NHS England operational target and primary care action plan requirement, explained the report.

“BLMK’s (now Central East ICB) total approximate achievement by the end of 2025/26 was 66 per cent. Performance for both BLMK and Luton has been on an improving trend during the last two years.”

The GP patient survey is nationally administered and captures patient experience of accessing and using general practice services, explained the report.

“It provides valuable insight into patient satisfaction, access to care, communication and continuity of care. This helps to identify areas of good practice, variation in performance and opportunities for improvement.”

Luton has 22 practices within six primary care networks (PCNs). Two PCNs have only one practice within them, which are Lea Vale and Oasis, while four PCNs have five practices each, added the report.

“Reviewing patient survey scores for 2024 and 2025, five of the six PCNs having improved their overall patient experience scores between 2024 and 2025.

“For reception and administrative staff, three of the six PCNs have improved overall scores during the same period of time. Areas on which to focus improvement are:

• telephone access across all PCNs;
• digital access, as website performance varies considerably between the PCNs;
• and continuity of care appears to remain inconsistent, with patients reporting they “sometimes or never” get to see their preferred healthcare professional.

“The Pharmacy First service launched in February 2024 enables community pharmacies to complete episodes of care for seven common conditions, following defined clinical pathways.

“Pharmacy First activity in Luton totalled 29,496 consultations. BLMK Pharmacy First activity has increased by 25 per cent during the 12 months to the end of March.”