Community GP hubs have significantly reduced attendances at Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments by a third, according to a new report.
New data presented to the Health Scrutiny Committee indicates that these hubs are playing a vital role in alleviating pressure on Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT). Craig Nikolic, Chief Executive Officer of Together First CIC, a GP federation, stated that 22% of patients who used the GP hub services would have otherwise gone to A&E. This equates to approximately 5,000 individuals annually who were diverted from emergency departments.
The cost-effectiveness of the GP hubs is highlighted by this diversion, with TFCIC's appointment cost being approximately one-third that of an Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) or Type 3 A&E appointment, and one-tenth that of a Type 1 A&E appointment.
The GP hubs offer a comprehensive range of services beyond just out-of-hours appointments. These include:
- Planned appointments (up to two weeks ahead)
- Diabetes medication reviews (blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol targets)
- Hypertension and medication reviews
- Heart (CHD) and kidney (CKD) disease reviews
- Asthma, COPD, and inhaler reviews
- Long-acting contraception (LARC): implants and coils
- Anticoagulation: hospital referrals, monitoring, and dose adjustments
- Simple wound care
- Community surgery and joint injections
- NHS Health Checks
- Spirometry and FeNO (lung and airway testing)
- On-site blood tests (phlebotomy) and ECGs
- Immunisation reviews
- Community engagement and health pop-ups
- Annual health checks for people with learning disabilities
- Physical health checks for people with severe mental illness
- Opportunistic Hep C and HIV testing
The hubs have a low Did Not Attend (DNA) rate of 2.9%, which is significantly below the national average for GP appointments, usually close to 8%. Furthermore, 98% of residents in Barking and Dagenham live within one mile of a hub.
Patient satisfaction with the services is high, with 92.5% of patients indicating they are 'Likely' or 'Very Likely' to refer friends or family, according to the Friends and Family test. Of those surveyed, 22.01% stated they would have gone to A&E if the GP hub service had not been available.
Despite their success, concerns were raised about the capacity of the GP hubs. Mr Nikolic stated that they currently offer 25,000 commissioned appointments per year but could easily double this capacity and still meet demand. He believes they are offering fewer than half the appointments that we think would meet the demand
based on 111 statistics, and to meet this demand fully, they would need to treble our appointments.
To double their appointments, additional funding would be required, and while there might be an initial challenge with estates, they are confident they could work it and we would get that in.
Challenges remain in ensuring equitable access for all population groups. Mr Nikolic highlighted difficulties in reaching individuals who are digitally excluded or new to the borough. He noted that people who are new to the borough, they bring, they brought problems and experiences with health care elsewhere.
For digitally excluded residents, safeguards such as phone calls and the availability of face-to-face appointments are in place.
This initiative is part of a broader effort to manage demand on services like those at King George Hospital and Queen's Hospital, as indicated by data on urgent and emergency care waiting times. Public reports pack Wednesday 21-Oct-2026 Health Scrutiny Committee.