The vast majority of patients contacting their GP practice think waiting times for an appointment are ‘reasonable’, a new survey has suggested.
From July, a survey commissioned by NHS England began collecting patient feedback on GP and other NHS services, which has now been analysed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The survey results, which are weighted to represent the wider population, found that almost half of adults (47%) attempted to contact their GP in the previous 28 days.
Of those who were successful, just over 60% said the process was ‘very easy’ or ‘easy’.
On GP waiting times, the ONS found that 88% of adults ‘considered the time between when their request was made and when their face-to-face or call back appointment was booked for as “reasonable” or “very reasonable”’.
Over two-thirds of patients who tried to contact their practice considered the overall experience ‘very good’ or ‘good’, according to the survey.
Patients aged 75 and were the most likely to report a good experience, with those aged between 16 and 24 reporting the worst experience.
The ONS also found that patients from Asian ethnic groups were ‘significantly more likely’ to report a poor experience.
Almost a third (29%) of Asian or British Asian adults reported their GP practice experience as poor, compared with only 13% among Black, African, Caribbean, or Black British adults, and 14% among white adults.
The survey also asked respondents about their experience of community pharmacy, with 20% of those who used a pharmacy having encountered difficulties getting their prescription.
This is the first iteration of the new Health Insight Survey, which will be repeated every four weeks.
In response to the findings, an NHS England spokesperson said that ‘primary care teams are the bedrock of the NHS’ and are increasingly seeing patients with ‘more complex and multiple health conditions’.
They continued: ‘This survey shows that nearly 9 in 10 patients are very satisfied or satisfied with community pharmacy services and while nearly 7 in 10 people had a good experience of contacting their GP practice there is still more to do to improve patient satisfaction and access, which is why we’re committed to working with the government and other stakeholders to tackle the issues that matter most to patients and the workforce.’
In July, the annual GP Patient Survey revealed that three quarters (73.9%) of patients found their 'overall experience' of their GP practice 'good', while almost 90% said their 'needs were met' at their last appointment.
Imagine! Half the adult population aiming to contact their GP every 28 days. And we know children have even higher contact rates. No wonder GPs and practices are overwhelmed. You’d have expected unacceptable waiting tines and / or major dissatisfaction but this is extraordinary. Bet it won’t be much reported in mainstream Media or landed by the High Hiedyins of NHSE/DHSC. Yet what other sector of the NHS can say as much?
Well done GPs and Receptionists !
It is interesting that those using ‘traditional’ methods to contact, find it easier than those who are more likely to try ‘digital’ methonds to contact their Practice : clearly the digital interface leaves a lot of unsatisfaction – it is clearly not as good as speaking to a person on the phone!
The other possible bias is the level of expectations of the youngsters who are used to getting everything they want immediately from online shops, and are basically spoilt and impatient.
The racial differences need further explanation : is it a matter of something related to location, language, social class, or indeed racial differences? I do not know any local practice that differentiates, and many of our patients, at telephone triage, you cannot tell race from name or accent! (And many who may appear of different ‘races’ speak Welsh too)
I hope the NHS powers that be are planning to see what patient’s expectations of accessing secondary care appointments and A&E…. If any of the frustrated patients I speak to are an indication, perhaps there should be a focus on access, communication and standards of care there rather than focusing on a system that isn’t perfect but actually, seems to be working OK