Assessing access to appointments at General Practice Surgeries in Solihull

Healthwatch Solihull examined access to GP appointments through a public meeting, a survey of 218 residents and a review of appointment systems across local practices. Overall, the study found that most patients were satisfied with their GP surgery opening hours and many rated the appointment booking service positively. However, difficulties accessing appointments remained a significant source of frustration. 

The survey found that almost half of respondents believed it took more than ten minutes to book an appointment by phone, while around 30% were dissatisfied with the choice of appointments available. Long telephone waits, difficulty obtaining same-day appointments and inconsistent experiences with reception staff were common concerns. Many respondents also reported wanting to see a preferred GP but were not always able to do so. 

A key finding was a gap between patient understanding and how appointment systems actually operated. Many respondents incorrectly believed that all appointments were released daily, despite most practices offering advance booking. Healthwatch concluded that poor communication about appointment systems was contributing to patient frustration and unrealistic expectations. 

Overall, the report recommended improving communication with patients about how appointment systems work, promoting online booking, reducing telephone congestion, strengthening customer service training for reception staff, and encouraging greater consistency and sharing of good practice between surgeries. It concluded that better communication and expectation-setting were likely to improve patient experience more effectively than simply extending surgery opening hours.