Almost 70,000 patients across Kent and Medway waited longer than 28 days for a GP appointment in October.

Latest NHS figures show some people are still struggling to see their doctor despite a record number of consultations taking place.

In Kent and Medway, 67,399 people faced a wait of 28 days or more to see a GP in October, and a further 159,098 people had to wait more than two weeks, according to the most recent data from NHS Digital.

About one in three (36%) took place on the same day a patient called to make an appointment – slightly below the national average (38.8%).

And in some of the county's worst performing practices, just 11% of appointments took place the same day.

The government wants to see all those who need an appointment get one within a fortnight with urgent appointments taking place the same day.

Inevitably some patients with non-urgent problems will see themselves waiting longer due to the need to triage, doctors say, and some may see themselves directed elsewhere.

At the Crane Surgery in Cranbrook almost one in three patients (30%) waited longer than 28 days to see a doctor.

GPs at the small practice which had 1,420 appointments in the month of October saw just 255 people – or about one in five (18%) – the same day.

According to the same NHS data, the far larger Bearsted Medical Practice in Maidstone had 3,282 patients (29%) waiting longer than 28 days.

Although of the 11,159 people it saw in total, 4,359 (39%) were seen the same day.

Elsewhere, Court View Surgery, a similar sized practice which forms part of the Strood primary care network, offered the fewest number of appointments per 1,000 patients registered (260).

This was closely followed by Borstal Village Surgery in Rochester which had offered 261 appointments according to the same yardstick.

Nationally, almost four in ten (38.8%) appointments took place on the same day that they were booked, according to the new data.

However, Green Porch Medical Partnership in Sittingbourne was one of the worst performing in Britain, offering the fewest number of same day appointments, with just 11.3% (282).

The new statistics, which cover all GP practices across England, reveal how many appointments each practice is delivering and the length of time taken from booking to the appointment itself.

They are being published monthly in the hope the figures will allow patients to make more informed choices.

But some GPs and healthcare bosses fear the new "name and shame" data is unhelpful and lacks context.

Steve Hodgson, practice business manager at Bearsted Medical Practice, said there was a risk of comparing "apples to oranges" when attempting to draw conclusions from generalised data sets.

"Post-pandemic there was a huge increase in demand that was far in excess of what we would have tried to manage during a typical winter."

He explained that the practice triages appointment requests and prioritises them based on clinical need so that those who need to be seen urgently are usually seen on the same day.

According to its own statistics shared with KentOnline the practice had triaged nearly 3,000 requests to see a doctor in October alone.

"It is not possible for any patient to book an appointment 28 days in advance at our surgery, so this statistic cannot be applied to us," he said.

"Generally we work up to two weeks ahead for non-urgent appointments, so a patient would not be able to wait more than 28 days for an appointment once triaged."

Mr Hodgson added there had been a "huge spike in demand" for GP services that far exceeds levels experienced pre-pandemic.

"Before the pandemic we ran a morning walk-in clinic which was extremely busy during the winter months," he said.

"Post-pandemic there was a huge increase in demand that was far in excess of what we would have tried to manage during a typical winter.

"We had to look at alternative ways of working so opted to triage requests and then prioritise the urgent cases."

This year already he says they have managed more than 50% more patients than they did via the walk-in clinic and there was no usual "easing of demand" in the summer months.

Dr Julian Spinks, GP and director at Medway Practices Alliance, has also cast doubt over the helpfulness of the new data which he says does not "paint the full picture".

He says hard-working doctors are being faced with unmanageable workloads and must triage as they simply "do not have the capacity to see everyone".

Even when working part-time, a GP working a three-day week in clinic will on average work 40 hours, and in some cases in excess of 60 hours.

"That is not sustainable," says Dr Spinks. "That's not just for the GP but it means people are being rushed through and that increases the dangers of something being missed.

"I think people are being short-changed only having five minutes with their GP."

The British Medical Association (BMA), the union representing doctors and medical students, says the pandemic has generated a vast backlog in general practice.

It recommends doctors see no more than 25 patients a day – or around 125 appointments a week – to ensure safe care is being offered.

A spokesperson for NHS Kent and Medway said: “All practices across Kent and Medway are working harder than ever before to support patients in the best possible way, and having never been busier offered more than one million appointments in October, with nearly 40 per cent on the same day.

“Patients are given appointments based on their clinical need with more urgent cases getting appointments sooner, and all are made with the most appropriate clinician, including nurse, GP or physiotherapist, to make sure everyone gets the best possible care.”