The challenges facing general practice aren’t new, but they are growing. Rising patient demand, tighter targets and ongoing workforce pressures all mean that GP surgeries are expected to do more with less. In this climate, small inefficiencies add up fast, and without visibility into what’s happening across the surgery, it’s hard to fix them.
A 2024 study published in the British Journal of General Practice found that operational failures, including information inaccuracy and difficulty in coordinating care, account for at least 5% of GP’s time1. This is just one of the reasons why access to real-time GP practice data is critical. When you can clearly see how your practice is running, from patient behaviour to staff capacity, you can make better decisions based on accurate data, faster. It’s no longer just about collecting GP practice data for reporting. It’s about using that data in the moment to improve access, ease pressure on staff and run a more efficient surgery.
Proactively manage demand with GP practice data
One of the key problems in general practice is that demand often hits all at once, creating peaks that overwhelm staff and impact access. But when you understand how, when and why patients are contacting the practice, you can start to smooth that demand.
For instance, advanced Cloud-based telephony systems like Surgery Connect provide real-time telephony data to help improve patient access through visibility of key metrics like call volumes, wait times and missed calls throughout the day. If the practice can see there are long wait times, it might suggest a change to the call flow is needed. When GP practice data like this is overlaid with access data from other tools like Surgery Assist, it reveals the full picture of how patients are getting in touch and where bottlenecks are happening.
For example, as part of access optimisation improvements at Tudor Lodge, offering patients the option to speak to a 24/7 digital assistant for care navigation led to a 65% drop in missed calls and a 60% reduction in call queue length. By tracking this impact in real time, the practice could see exactly where pressure was easing and continue to fine-tune services, helping the team to work more efficiently and improve patient access.
Access to GP practice data in real time also means practices can spot where digital tools aren’t relieving pressure in the way they should. For example, if online consultations are open all day but result in the same number of admin-heavy requests as phone calls, that may point to a workflow issue. Practices can then tweak how they triage patients or use tools like Surgery Assist to encourage patients to self-serve, reducing the upfront admin burden.
Crucially, this shift from reactive to proactive working helps prevent problems before they build. It also means practices aren’t forced to rely on anecdotal feedback or trial and error, but instead have the data to guide their decisions.
Bringing GP practice data into one place
Many surgeries already gather large volumes of GP practice data, but much of it sits in silos or is too slow to act on. Tools like Surgery Insights change that. As X-on Health’s centralised dashboard, it brings together real-time information from key systems including Surgery Connect, Surgery Assist and the NHS App, and turns it into actionable insight.
This helps practices understand what’s working, what isn’t and where time and resources are being lost. It’s not about adding more tools. It’s about making existing systems work harder by giving practices the clarity to make smarter decisions.
Surgery Insights does this by focusing on the areas that have the greatest impact on workload and access. For example, practices can track patient interactions with the Surgery Assist chatbot to see what questions are being asked, when they’re being asked and how patients are engaging. If most queries are around medication or test results, it may point to the need for clearer signposting or self-service options.
This level of visibility turns patient demand from a moving target into something measurable and manageable.
Using GP practice data to align people and processes
But data isn’t just about patient demand. Without data, you lack an evidenced understanding of a situation, so when practices have visibility over real-time data, it helps them to understand their internal capacity and how best to use it. This is especially important with a limited workforce and the increasing need to prioritise resources.
Surgery Insights includes GP practice data on staffing levels, patient ratios and appointment bookings. This allows practices to align staffing with actual demand, not just rough estimates. If Mondays consistently show higher call volumes and lower appointment attendance, for example, practices might adjust rotas or spread bookings differently across the week.
Insights into DNA rates and appointment patterns can also support smarter patient navigation. When combined with data from Surgery Assist, this helps practices direct patients to the most appropriate route of care the first time, whether that’s a same-day appointment, pharmacy referral or self-management.
This alignment of people and processes is key to improving efficiency. It’s not about stretching teams thinner, it’s about using what you have more effectively and using joined-up systems to unlock the digital front door and deliver better outcomes for patients.
Benchmarking performance and driving change through GP practice data
Data at practice level is invaluable. For example, practices can use the data in the Surgery Insights dashboard to evidence meeting contractual requirements e.g. Capacity & Access Improvement Payment (CAIP). But even better, is being able to compare this on a national scale. Surgery Insights includes benchmarking tools which allow practices to compare their performance against national NHS averages. This provides important context: it helps identify whether issues are local or widespread and shows where improvements are most needed. This kind of benchmarking is especially useful when working across PCNs or feeding into ICB discussions. It enables practices to make the case for additional support, investment or service changes using credible GP practice data.
More broadly, benchmarking turns insights into something tangible—progress that can be tracked, shared and built on. It moves the conversation away from gut feeling and towards measurable improvement.
Access real-time insights for real impact
Efficiency in general practice doesn’t come from working harder, it comes from working smarter. And that starts with knowing exactly what’s happening in your surgery, in real time.
Dashboards like Surgery Insights give practices the clarity to act quickly and confidently. Whether it’s managing patient demand, reallocating staff or improving how digital tools are used, having access to the right GP practice data at the right moment makes all the difference.
It’s about taking control. It’s about easing pressure. And ultimately, it’s about giving practices the space to do what they do best—care for patients.