Accessing GP care in Wolverhampton
Download (PDF 1.8 MB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Wolverhampton undertook research on evaluating patient experience when booking GP appointments by phone. Between October and November 2022, volunteers made calls to 56 GP practices in Wolverhampton.
The report shows that the number of practices offering a call waiting system has reduced for four out of the six Primary Care Networks.
Overall, improvements have been made to pre-recorded messages on the call waiting system, apart from one PCN.
There has been an increase in the number of practices signposting patients to pharmacies. This is particularly noticeable in one PCN, where five practices said that they would signpost to pharmacies.
The report contains recommendations to help improve public access to GP appointments and services via the telephone. Findings will be shared with the Health Scrutiny Panel, and with the clinical directors for each PCN to highlight any specific issues identified.