What is it like accessing GP care as a young person?

Healthwatch Bucks decided to look at young people's (14-20) access to GP care after speaking to the Youth Voice Bucks Executive Committee.

In this project Healthwatch Bucks wanted to collect young peoples’ experiences of health care and share that information with the people who provide these services, so that healthcare providers could understand what impacts young people when they seek care.

88 young people gave their feedback via an online survey (72), or in person at two focus groups (16). All responses were collected between 23 October and 16 December 2024. 

Key findings:

• Three quarters  of respondents said they knew where to find medical advice or help for what they needed (e.g. for a rash, anxiety, contraception etc).
• Two thirds of young people said their parents / guardians made their appointments. Half of these teenagers said they did not know how to make an appointment by themselves.
• 59% of respondents were unaware that GP surgery appointments can be booked through the NHS app. Most booked GP appointments by phone.
• Two thirds of those who had booked their own appointments had found booking one difficult. This was because they couldn’t get through on the phone or get to a suitable appointment, often because they were at school or college.
• Only half of those who made their own appointments were aware that they could ask to see a doctor of the same gender
• 44% of young people didn't realise that when they turn 16, their parents or guardians can no longer see their NHS health information. A third  of respondents, already 16 years of age (or older), said they were not aware of this.
• Two thirds (57/85) did not understand the possible consequences of this.
• Two thirds of respondents did not know that they could ask the NHS to continue to share this information with their parents/guardians.
• Many young people said they would like to get health information from an app (top choice) or an NHS website.
• Many young people found it hard to get help from their doctor because they couldn’t make calls or go to appointments while in school, college, or work. They also faced issues with transportation or didn't fully understand how to use online options like the NHS App.
• Only 16% of respondents visited a GP on their own. Two thirds of these young people felt listened to by the GP or nurse.
• Of the 84% who were accompanied to appointments by someone else, half said the doctor or nurse talked directly to them. The other half felt that sometimes the staff spoke to them and sometimes to the adult they were with.
• Most respondents felt they understood what was being said in an appointment.
• The most popular response, if they couldn’t get an appointment with their GP surgery was to wait for the next day/available appointment or go to a pharmacist.