Modern General Practice Access

Healthwatch teams across the North East and North Cumbria carried out research throughout community visits, conversations and the MGPA shared survey to understand how people are accessing primary care services, including the NHS App, Pharmacy First, GP practices and Extended Access appointments. This work was undertaken to explore whether people feel these options are meeting their needs and to identify barriers that continue to affect access, confidence and clarity.

The research gathered feedback from 371 residents and highlighted mixed experiences. While 59% of people said accessing their GP was easy and many welcomed having more choice, awareness of newer options such as Extended Access and Pharmacy First remained low. People valued the NHS App when they could use it, but a significant proportion struggled due to digital confidence, device issues or inconsistent practice setup. 

Key challenges included long waits, difficulty getting through on the phone, unclear communication across services, and greater barriers for disabled people, older adults, carers and people with limited English.

The report made 8 recommendations focused on clearer communication about where to go and when, better promotion and consistent offering of Extended Access, and stronger support for people who struggle with digital tools. Outcomes of these recommendations were not yet reported.