Official statistics indicate a significant surge in complaints directed at GPs, with patients voicing their concerns more frequently than ever before.

During the 2024/25 period, over 134,000 written complaints were filed against GP practices across England.

This figure marks an increase of more than 10,000 from the previous year and nearly doubles the complaints recorded prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The primary issues fueling these grievances include communication breakdowns, the quality of clinical treatment, staff attitudes and behavior, and difficulties in securing appointments.

Nevertheless, the health service found that only about half of these complaints were either fully or partially upheld.

Amid these rising concerns, government ministers are facing mounting pressure to address the ongoing challenges within general practice.

Disgruntled patients have even previously complained of having to visit A&E instead, heaping extra pressure on swamped casualty units. 

But the Government has repeatedly pledged to tackle the crisis head on and ‘bring back the family doctor’.

According to the figures, published by NHS England, there were 134,501 complaints submitted about GP services in 2024/25, an increase of 10 per cent on the 122,475 logged in 2023/24. 

Clinical treatment and errors were the most complained about area for GP surgeries, making up 15 per cent of grievances.

Communication followed, accounting for 13.4 per cent of all complaints. 

The attitude and behaviour of staff was also commonly criticised, being the focus of 12.4 per cent of complaints. 

Prescription issues and the availability and length of GP appointments were other frequent issues, accounting for 8.5 per cent of grievances each. 

But just 29.4 per cent of all complaints were fully upheld by the NHS, with 20.7 per cent partially upheld.    

Access to GP appointments has been a bugbear of patients for years, with getting a slot likened to securing a ticket to Glastonbury because of the hated 8am phone line scramble.

In total, there are now over 28,000 fully-qualified full-time GPs in England. Numbers have dwindled over the past decade despite attempts to recruit thousands more. 

Many are retiring in their 50s, moving abroad or leaving to work in the private sector because of soaring demand, paperwork and aggressive media coverage of the NHS.

At the same time, the population has also grown, exacerbating the problem.

Patient satisfaction has also plunged to its lowest level in four decades as a result of the never-ending appointments crisis.

Health secretary Wes Streeting has vowed to make it easier for patients to access their GP practice.

Surgeries in England are now required to keep online forms open for the duration of their working hours for non-urgent appointment requests, medication queries and admin requests.

The move, ordered by the Government and introduced nationwide on October 1, was aimed at reducing the so-called ‘8am scramble’.

Many surgeries already have a system that allows patients to request consultations online, with staff reviewing these and booking appointments accordingly.

But the Department of Health says there is a lack of consistency, with some surgeries choosing to switch the function off in busier periods.

Defending the change, Mr Streeting said there were ‘safeguards’ in place and that it was ‘absurd’ people can book a haircut online yet some GPs still refuse to let patients make appointments in the same way.

The British Medical Association, however, which warns doctors that carrying out more than 25 appointments a day is dangerous, has since dangled the threat of a formal dispute. 

Union chiefs said safeguards were never put in place and no additional staff were brought in to manage what it predicts to be a ‘barrage of online requests’. 

But GP written complaints, was not the only record figure logged in the NHS data released this week. 

Figures also showed the number of written complaints submitted to the health service as a whole in England had risen year-on-year to a new record high.

Experts said the stat should serve as a ‘wake-up call’.

Some 256,777 complaints were made to the NHS in 2024/25, up from 241,922 a year earlier.

The figure is a 6.1 per cent increase year-on-year and the highest since data collection started in 2014/15.

Health secretary Wes Streeting (pictured) has vowed to make it easier for patients to access their GP practice

Reacting to the data, Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: ‘The record number of NHS complaints in the past year should be a wake-up call.

‘Every complaint represents a patient who felt unheard, dismissed, or failed by a system meant to care for them in their moment of need.

‘Patients tell us that being listened to and taken seriously is one of the most important parts of their care, yet too often their experience falls short.

‘Navigating a stressful and complex complaints process after a poor experience can compound the harm, especially for those who already face barriers to having their voices heard.’

As part of its 10-year plan, the Government has pledged to reform the NHS complaints process and improve response times to patient safety incidents. 

However, Rebecca Curtayne, external affairs manager at Healthwatch England, said: ‘The public needs clarity on what those reforms will involve and when they will be delivered’.

‘We call on the Department of Health and Social Care to act swiftly,’ she added.

‘This should start with consulting the public on the design of the new complaints system, one that responds quickly when things go wrong, treats people with empathy, and genuinely learns from mistakes.’