Running a telemarketing campaign to GPs? Here's what's in the list
| In the list | Count |
|---|---|
| Telephone numbers for UK GPs | 58,734 |
| Named contacts available (a person to ask for) | 46,369 |
| Workplaces counted by ONS (the whole UK market) | 21,255 |
The list covers GP surgeries and private doctors across the UK. Because each doctor is a record, it is longer than the number of surgeries: the Office for National Statistics counts 21,255 GP practice workplaces, while our list has 58,734 records for individual GPs and private doctors. Several records at the same surgery will usually share the practice's phone number, so decide before you order whether you're calling practices (most suppliers are) or individual doctors, and we'll de-duplicate accordingly.
The number on a record is normally the surgery's main line, the same number patients use. Many surgeries answer it with a menu (appointments, prescriptions, test results, other enquiries) and a queue. Your callers will spend a lot of time in that queue unless they plan around it; the timing advice below is the single biggest efficiency gain on a GP campaign.
Health centres, NHS clinics and private clinics are separate categories, so they're only included if you ask for them.
TPS or CTPS? Screening GPs' phone numbers before you call
Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) you must not make a live sales call to a number registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) or the Corporate Telephone Preference Service (CTPS), unless that business has told you it's happy to take your calls. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships are treated as individuals, so their numbers go on the TPS; limited companies, LLPs and other organisations use the CTPS. Screen the whole list against both registers before every campaign, and keep your own do-not-call list of anyone who asks you not to ring again.
How UK GPs are set up, from the Office for National Statistics (21,255 workplaces, UK Business Counts 2026, SIC 86210):
| Legal form | UK workplaces | Share | Register that applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited companies and LLPs | 11,530 | 54% | CTPS |
| Sole traders | 1,755 | 8% | TPS |
| Partnerships | 7,320 | 34% | TPS |
| Charities, clubs and other non-profits | 175 | 1% | CTPS |
| Public sector | 480 | 2% | CTPS |
GP practices are one of the sectors where the TPS matters most. In the ONS figures above, over four in ten GP workplaces are run by partnerships or single-handed GPs, and the traditional GP practice is a partnership of doctors holding the NHS contract. Those numbers belong on the TPS. Practices run by limited companies or NHS bodies use the CTPS.
There's a local twist: in Scotland, partnerships are legal persons, so Scottish GP partnerships are treated like companies and screened against the CTPS. If you're calling across the UK, screening against both registers covers this automatically.
Be straightforward about who you are. Never suggest you're calling from the NHS, a patient or a clinical service to get through: it's misleading, and practice staff are trained to spot it.
Who to ask for when you call GPs
GPs almost never take supplier calls during clinics. The practice manager runs the business side of the surgery and is the person most sales calls should aim for; partners come in when a decision needs their agreement.
| Ask for | What they decide | Getting them on the phone |
|---|---|---|
| Practice manager or business manager | Staff, premises, IT, telephony, contracts and most suppliers. Puts larger decisions to the partners. | Choose the admin or "other enquiries" option on the phone menu, not appointments, and ask for them by name. |
| GP partners | Premises, partnership finances, new services and anything that changes how the practice runs. Usually agreed between the partners together. | Reach them through the practice manager, who can add your proposal to a partners' meeting. |
| Assistant or operations manager | Rotas, day-to-day suppliers, facilities and maintenance in larger practices. | Often easier to reach than the practice manager and a good route in for smaller purchases. |
| Reception manager or patient services lead | Phone systems, front-desk processes, reception training and patient communications. | Ask for them by role if your record doesn't name them; they'll know the phone queue better than anyone. |
| Primary Care Network manager (England) | Services and staff shared across a group of neighbouring practices. | Ask the practice manager which network the surgery belongs to and who manages it. |
Getting past reception at a GP surgery
Surgery receptionists, often called care navigators, spend the day directing patients: to a GP, a nurse, a pharmacist or somewhere else. They're used to asking questions and making quick decisions, so give them what they need to route you:
- Say you're not a patient in your first sentence. It skips the triage questions and tells them this call goes to the office, not the clinical team.
- Use the admin option. If the phone menu has an option for other enquiries or the practice office, take it. Holding in the appointments queue wastes your time and theirs.
- Ask for the practice manager by name and give your reason in a sentence, such as "it's about your phone system contract".
- Ask for a time, not a call-back. "When is the best time to catch [name]?" gets an answer; "can they call me back?" usually doesn't.
- Accept "no" politely. Some practices have a policy of not taking sales calls. Ask whether there's an address for supplier information, note the request and don't ring that surgery again.
Best and worst times to call GPs
A GP surgery's phones follow the patient day. These windows are general advice; every surgery is different, and many publish their phone hours on their website.
| When | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| From 8am until mid-morning | Avoid | Patients ring for same-day appointments as soon as the lines open, and queues can be long. |
| Mondays | Avoid | Usually the busiest day of the week, with the weekend's demand arriving at once. |
| Late morning, roughly 11am to 12.30pm, Tuesday to Thursday | Good time | The morning queue has cleared and the practice manager is usually at their desk. |
| Early afternoon, roughly 2pm to 3.30pm | Good time | A quieter spell before afternoon surgery and end-of-day calls build up. |
| After about 4pm | Avoid | Test results, call-backs and next-day bookings take over the lines. |
| Friday afternoons | Avoid | Prescription requests and arrangements for the weekend crowd the phones. |
If a surgery publishes a phone menu option or a separate number for the practice office, use it: you'll avoid the patient queue entirely.
Seasonality: when in the year to call GPs
The NHS year and the seasons shape when practice managers have time to talk:
What to say: a short opener and replies to common objections
On a GP campaign the first line has to get you out of the patient queue and into the practice office.
To reception
Hello, I'm not a patient. I'm calling for [practice manager's name]. It's Sam from [your company], about [one-line reason]. Are they around, or is there a better time?
To the practice manager
Thanks. I know your lines are busy, so I'll keep this short. We help GP practices with [what you do], usually by [one concrete benefit]. Is that something you'd decide on, or would it go to the partners?
Fill in the brackets with your own details. If the answer is "the partners", don't push for a decision on the call: ask what the partners would need to see and when they next meet.
When they push back
"That's fine. When is the next one? I'll send you a one-page summary you can put in front of them, and call you the week after to hear what they thought."
Some purchases are made by the Primary Care Network or the integrated care board rather than the practice. Ask: "Who should I speak to there? And is there anything you still choose locally?"
"Understood, I'll make a note not to call again. Is there an address where the practice manager is happy to receive supplier information?" Then add the surgery to your do-not-call list.
Prices for a list of GP phone numbers
You pay per record, and the price per record falls as the order grows:
| Number of records | Price per 1,000 |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 2,500 | £295 |
| 2,500 to 4,999 | £270 |
| 5,000 to 9,999 | £245 |
| 10,000 to 19,999 | £220 |
| 20,000 to 49,999 | £195 |
| 50,000 or more | £170 |
Other phone lists
Questions about calling GPs
Where can I get a list of GPs' phone numbers to call?
We supply one. Our list of GP phone numbers holds 58,734 telephone numbers for UK GPs, with 46,369 named contacts available, covering GP surgeries and private doctors. Several doctors at the same surgery each have a record, so ask for one number per surgery if you're calling practices. Free NHS directories list surgeries too, but not the practice manager's name or a file you can load into a dialler.
Running a telemarketing campaign to GPs? What do I need first?
Decide whether you're calling practices or individual doctors (most suppliers want practices, so ask for one record per surgery), screen against both the TPS and CTPS, since a large share of practices are partnerships, and aim for the practice manager. Then plan your calling hours around the 8am patient rush and Mondays, and use the practice office option on the phone menu.
Why is your GP figure higher than the number of GP surgeries?
Because the list is of individual GPs and doctors, not surgeries. A practice with five GPs can have five records, usually with the same surgery number. ONS counts 21,255 GP practice workplaces in the UK; our 58,734 records include several doctors at many of them, plus private doctors.
Can I get GPs' direct lines or mobile numbers?
The list holds business telephone numbers, which for GPs are normally the surgery's own line. Getting a GP on the phone almost always goes through the practice manager.
Are health centres and private clinics included?
No, they are separate categories: 461 health centres and 4,483 private clinics. You can add them to your order or buy them on their own.
How much does a list of GP phone numbers cost?
You pay per record: £295 per 1,000 for orders under 2,500 records, falling to £170 per 1,000 for 50,000 records or more (excluding VAT). Tell us which GPs you want and we'll send a free count and an exact price.