In an effort to demystify a prevalent misconception about doctor visits, an NHS General Practitioner has spoken out. Dr. Sophie aims to shed light on the challenges patients face when trying to secure same-day appointments and the realities of a doctor’s daily schedule.

For many across the UK, the ‘8am scramble’ is a well-known ritual. It’s a frantic race to reach GP surgery phone lines as they open, hoping to secure an appointment for that day. However, with the population steadily increasing, not everyone can be accommodated immediately, especially depending on the urgency of their medical needs.

According to a report by the Care Quality Commission titled ‘The State of Health Care and Adult Social Care in England 2023/24’, the struggle for timely appointments is evident. The report highlights a significant rise, with those waiting over two weeks for a GP appointment jumping from 4.2 million in February 2020 to 5 million by March 2024. Despite this, some patients have begun voicing their frustration over what they perceive as ’empty’ waiting rooms.

Addressing these concerns on TikTok, Dr. Sophie acknowledged the frustration felt by patients, particularly when communication falls short. “Empty waiting rooms,” she explained, “often give the impression that GPs are not working, as people walk in and see no one waiting.”

Dr. Sophie clarified, “That’s certainly not the case. Behind the scenes, we are continuously engaged in various tasks. We conduct home visits, manage triage, handle prescription requests, make referrals, and conduct blood tests. I also intersperse my phone call appointments with face-to-face clinics.”

She further explained that this approach allows her to catch up with phone consultations if a face-to-face appointment extends longer than expected, ensuring a more efficient workflow between clinics.

She closed: “Although it does appear as though we aren’t doing any work, I promise you that is not the case.”

Writing in response, however, one person claimed: “It’s only been since Covid though. Also why do doctors only do three days per week?”

It prompted Dr Sophie to point out: “Many GPs work what looks like ‘part-time’, but the days are often 12+ hours long – so three days can actually be equivalent to a full-time week in hours. Most of us also have admin, results, and paperwork outside those clinical sessions too!”

A second TikTok user hit out: “I just don’t understand why the whole system has changed. Everyone is very frustrated and there are never any explanations.”

Dr Sophie explained: “The system changed mainly to help manage the huge rise in demand and to make sure people are directed to the right type of care more quickly. Many issues can now be sorted safely by phone or online, which frees up face-to-face appointments for those who really need them. It’s different, but it’s helped us see more patients overall. But it’s definitely not perfect!”

A frustrated third told Dr Sophie: “We get that but when we’re ill and want to see a doctor we can’t – that’s the issue.” To which she clarified: “Totally understand – the problem is huge demand and not enough GPs or funding to meet it, which makes it harder for everyone to get seen as quickly as we’d like.”

Meanwhile a fourth TikTok user was still sceptical and lashed out at the GP: “You were doing all that before so really doesn’t explain the empty waiting room! Hiding behind this doesn’t fool people. Complicating the system where everything is triaged to the hilt instead of just seeing people will stop all the signposting and causing more admin and sending to A&E for minor things.”

Again, however, Dr Sophie was on hand to set the record straight. “I’m absolutely not hiding – I’m out here trying to explain it,” she said. “Demand has exploded while funding and staffing have stayed the same. A busy practice might have 25–30 GP appointments per doctor each day but receive 400 patient contacts – all needing to be triaged, reviewed, or redirected. That’s the real issue, not GPs hiding behind anything. I would love to hear any suggestions on how we could do better with the current funding?”

According to NHS England, new figures [July 2025] show general practice has delivered over seven million more appointments in the past year compared to last year, taking the total to a record 380 million.

It adds: “Hardworking GP teams carried out 383.3m appointments in the last 12 months, compared to 375.7m in the previous year. Figures for June 2025 also show practices delivered 31.4 million appointments, which is a record for June and nearly a third more than the same period pre-pandemic (a 31.9% increase).