People's experiences of primary care

Healthwatch England looks at feedback it has received between April 2013 and March 2015 on primary care, representing the views of over 11,000 people.

Local Healthwatch found that many people were unable to access primary care services, for reasons including physical access barriers and difficulty registering with practices. Frustration with telephone appointment booking systems and problems getting a GP appointment were key issues across the country, as was access to interpretation services for people who are Deaf.

A third of patients surveyed told Healthwatch Surrey they saw their family doctor ‘rarely’ or ‘never’ and a fifth of patients told Healthwatch Liverpool they were unable to specify the gender of the GP they wanted to see.

Local Healthwatch found that often patients felt that doctors did not make enough time for them; for example, only allowing a patient to talk about one issue per appointment. Healthwatch Halton found that six out of 10 local residents were not happy with the length of appointment available. Local Healthwatch also found examples of primary-care services not doing enough to help people to complain when they receive poor care.

Patients across the country highlighted the attitude of staff, especially receptionists, as an area in need of improvement.

People were not always sure where to go when they could not get a GP appointment and wanted clearer information so they could make decisions about their care.