Exploring access to GP services in Dudley Borough

Healthwatch Dudley wanted to look into the barriers that patients face when accessing GP services. They also wanted to explore how changes might be made, in view of the challenges currently faced by GP services in our borough.  They undertook a survey, undertook six enter and view visits to local practices and visited nine community groups, reaching a total of 1,049 people.

Most of the people booked their most recent appointment by phone. However, each patient had their own preferences. People appreciated flexible booking options, especially when juggling other commitments such as work or caring responsibilities.

People expressed concerns about waiting times for a GP appointment.

Whilst some patients used the NHS App to book appointments, order repeat prescriptions, send questions to their GP and access medical records, others had a lack of knowledge of the App and what it could be used for.

Online forms to contact GP surgeries were seen as positive, but they could only be accessed at certain times of the day which present problems for people with inflexible jobs, people with caring responsibilities and people without access to devices at all times.

Nearly a quarter felt uncomfortable or very uncomfortable using technology to access GP services.

Survey respondents whose first language is not English faced more challenges when accessing services at their GP practice. This includes face-to-face appointments, online and via the telephone. GP services should be aware of the need for interpreting services and should offer them as standard to patients that struggle to understand English.

There were significant barriers in accessing GP services due to low literacy levels. People expressed feeling misunderstood by their GP practice due to not being able to read or write.

Over two in five people who had additional communication needs said their GP doesn’t understand or make adjustments to suit their needs. This is compared to 32% of patients who don’t have additional communication needs.

Whilst some patients understood the purpose of triage systems, others expressed they were uncomfortable sharing personal information over the phone or in a waiting room.

Overall there was a mix of patient knowledge of services. But there was an overwhelming willingness from the public to learn about other services and how to access them.

Whilst some felt they had an understanding and helpful GP, others felt their relationship with their GP had worsened, due to a perceived lack of staff and a lack of continuity of care.

The report contains recommendations on improving accessibility, ways of contacting surgeries, accessible digital services, communication needs, reducing waiting times, improving patient choice and acting on patient feedback.