At School Lane Surgery we have always believed that patients should understand not only how to access care but also the scale of work happening behind the scenes every day. Being open about our activity and the resources available to us is one of the ways we build trust and keep you informed. After all we have nothing to hide, and context is important when it comes to a GP surgery.
This snapshot offers a clear picture of the demand we manage and the care we provide.
During January we received 8,294 phone calls and 28,177 online forms. These contacts include appointment requests, clinical queries, prescription questions as well as a wide range of administrative support. The volume of online forms reflects how many patients are choosing digital routes to contact us while phone access remains essential for others.
We know waiting times matter. The average phone wait in January was 9 minutes. While we continue to look for ways to reduce this further it is important to be honest about the pressures our reception and care navigation teams face particularly during busy periods.
Across the month we provided 10,111 appointments with clinical staff. Each appointment represents time for patient care, assessment, decision making, treatment and follow up. Each appointment is important.
In January 97.8 % of all appointments were attended with only 2.2 percent missed. Which is great to see and thank you.
This works out as 221 appointments lost as DNA, meaning the patient Did Not Attend. Missed appointments cannot usually be reused at short notice which reduces overall capacity. Sharing this information helps explain why we regularly ask patients to cancel appointments they can no longer attend.
Let’s see if we can get it over the 98% mark next month.
Prescribing is another major part of our work. During January we issued 32,809 prescription items. Each one involves clinical oversight, safety checks and coordination with local pharmacies. At School Lane we have a dedicated Pharmacy Team comprised of two clinical pharmacists, three Pharmacy Technicians and two Pharmacy clerks who work on all prescription queries and processing. This is separate to the School Lane Pharmacy that is a separate business and does not fall under the surgery.
Patient experience remains central to everything we do. In our Friends and Family feedback 95% of respondents said they would recommend School Lane Surgery to someone else. We are proud of this and thankful to everyone who takes the time to share feedback as it helps guide improvements. While this feedback is anonymous, every comment is read and shared so we can identify trends and improve where possible. It also allows us to celebrate staff who have been named when care has been highlighted as excellent.
Do we get everything right? No. When things go wrong we recognise it take responsibility and work to improve.
The average amount of funding received is £0.31 per patient per day to cover all aspects of care as well as staffing costs, medical supplies, utilities, building maintenance and yes even the tea bags that keep our team going! We share this not as a complaint but to help explain why resources must be carefully balanced against demand. It is easy to always say we need more money, but the reality is we do. All GP surgeries do.
This snapshot is shared to inform and involve our patients. General practice is often described in terms of appointment lengths or waiting times, but the reality is that we are a complex service delivered by clinical and non-clinical teams working together throughout the day. It is not just booking and seeing you for an appointment.
By sharing this information, we aim to be transparent about both the pressures we face and our commitment to providing safe high-quality care in 2026.
We will continue to publish updates like this because we believe it is important in keeping you informed, and we will update you monthly. Thank you for being part of the School Lane Surgery community!
