Brent Borough data shows that patients registered at GP Pathfinder Clinics GP practices have the lowest levels of A&E usage across the Borough. GP Pathfinder Clinics’ 24/7, ‘always-on’ model for primary care ensures that patients have continuous access to services, and, as this latest data shows, this reduces the burden on other urgent care services in the area.

GP Pathfinder Clinics Clinical Director Dr Jahan Mahmoodi said: “Patient experience is a key priority for us, and we are pleased that by offering more accessible and timely services, we have also been able to reduce the burden on local A&E services. Our patients have shown us that there really is a demand for continuous access to primary care services; in fact, 36.8% of our online requests are submitted out of hours.”

Availability of primary care services is known to affect demand for A&E services, with many patients citing the difficulty of getting a GP appointment as the reason for attending A&E. NHS A&E delays have soared in recent years, with the latest data from April 2024 showing that 25% of patients face waits of 12 hours or longer. According to the King’s Fund, the NHS has not met the four-hour standard at national level in any year since 2013/14, and the standard has been missed in every month since July 2015.