The working day of a GP!

What Does a GP Really Do All Day?

What you might think:

• A GP only works when they are talking to you. You might think they have nothing to do when they are not with a patient.
• An empty waiting room means a quiet day. When no one is sitting in the waiting room, it looks like the doctors are free.
• A GP works from 9 am to 5 pm. You might think they start when the doors open and go home when the doors close.
• A GP gets a long lunch break. You might think they stop work for an hour in the middle of the day.
• Running late means being disorganised. If your appointment starts late, it can feel like the doctor is not keeping track of time.

What a GP really does:

• Most GPs start work at 7:30 am or 8:00 am. This is before the surgery doors open.
• Most GPs finish work after 7:00 pm. This is long after the last patient goes home.

• A GP helps 30 to 60 patients every day.
• They see patients in the surgery.
• They also talk to patients on the phone and send text messages.
• They deal with the vast amount of eConsults that arrive each day as well as emails from patients.
• They visit very ill or housebound patients at home.

• Checking test results. A GP looks at 40 to 100 blood tests, X-rays, and scans every day. They do this to find health problems early and each one needs to be addressed individually and any follow up arranged.
• Signing prescriptions. A GP checks and signs 50 to 200 medicine requests every day. They make sure your tablets are safe for you, each one needs to be checked.  It is essential to give the GP 3 working days notice to ensure you receive your medication in time.
• Reading hospital letters. A GP reads updates from hospital doctors. They change your care plan if you need new treatment, add to registered and arrange monitoring and any other requests which may be required.
• Writing referrals. A GP writes letters to hospital specialists to ask them to see you and deals with all the necessary requirements to ensure they have all the information they need.

• GPs rarely get a proper lunch break.
• They usually eat at their desk while they type medical notes.
• They also have meetings with nurses and pharmacists at lunchtime to plan patient care.
• Often they are called on urgent visits over the 'lunch period'.

• Each appointment is usually planned for 10/15 minutes.
• Sometimes a patient has a very serious problem.
• Sometimes a patient needs urgent hospital care.
• Both of which will take longer than the appointment time, but are very necessary.
• Your GP will always take extra time to keep a very poorly patient safe.
• If you arrive more than 5 minutes late for your appointment you will not be seen as there will not be enough time to deal with your problem before the next patient's slot.

• Tell the receptionist a little about your problem. They can book you with the right person. You might get seen faster by a nurse, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional.
• Use online services. You can order repeat prescriptions online. You can also send non-urgent messages online. This keeps our phone lines free for urgent calls.
• Arrive on time for your appointment - occasionally you may need to wait a little longer if the GP has needed to take longer with a patient (as noted above), but bear with us, we will be with you as soon as we can.
• Cancel your appointment early if you cannot come. This lets us give your appointment to another patient and helps with capacity issues.

All practice staff work very hard to ensure you receive the best care possible, without exception.

Thank you for your continued support!

Published on 14 November 2026