New data revealed that an additional 700,000 GP appointments were delivered last year across the county.

According to the data provided by NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, 7,451,593 GP appointments were issued in the region last year.

At the Hampshire County Council health and adult social care select committee on March 5, James Roach, director of primary care at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB), which plans services, said that the organisation continues to see the highest levels of access to primary care.

As a result, almost 700,000 extra appointments were delivered in 2024 compared to 2023.

However, the NHS said that providing more appointments, “does not always link to a better service or improve the health of local people”.

Therefore, work is being undertaken with GPs and partners to implement short and long-term measures to improve the care and support local people receive.

Face-to-face appointments, totalling 4,290,640, were raised during the autumn, during periods of seasonal illness, and decreased during the summer months.

Around 2.59 million telephone appointments were also made, 34 per cent of total appointments.

Home visits also increased by 30,000 in one year – reflecting the work of practices to support the most vulnerable people in local communities.

However, across the service, patients were not attended to over 500,000 appointments in 2024, which could have been used for others and remains an “issue” for the organisation, Mr Roach said.

Mr Roach added: “The demand for general practice continues to be significant. In the last four months [of 2024], October was the highest month on record in terms of the number of GP appointments.

“There is a significant demand, but our practices are doing a really good job in taking that demand, and they continue to provide diversity in terms of range of appointments.

“It is important we recognise the demand but also reflect on the excellent progress our GPs have made in dealing with that day to day in our communities.”

Cllr Lance Quantrill asked if, although demand increase is not correlated with the population’s demand, “is it people being sicker?”

Mr Roach said that evidence suggested that “a bigger proportion” of people are “getting sicker” with respiratory and chronic conditions that need more support.