New data has revealed how long people in Watford area waiting to see their GP.

A collection of official statistics titled Appointments in General Practice was released on August 31, showing the waiting times for each GP in the Watford area in July this year.

According to the NHS, “the aim of the publication is to inform users about activity and usage of GP appointments historically and how primary care is impacted by seasonal pressures, such as winter.”

It showed that The Consulting Rooms, in Oxhey Drive, had the greatest percentage of appointments happening on the same day they were booked, with 1,758 such appointments making up 61.75% of the total. 

Just 12.25% of appointments involved a wait longer than a week.

At the opposite end Rickmansworth's Gade Surgery, meanwhile, had only 57.7% of appointments happening within a week of being booked.

Just 31.7% of appointments at Sheepcot Medical Centre happened on the same day they were booked, the least in the area.

Quicker appointments do not necessarily mean a service is better run, a note provided with the data said: “There are several factors that drive the time from a booking to an appointment.

“This includes appointment availability at the practice, patient availability, the urgency of the appointment and GP advice.”