Bridlington GP Access Report

This is a report by Healthwatch East Riding of Yorkshire. The report looks at GP access in the Bridlington area.

There had been an increase in the number of concerns and difficulties with accessing GP services reported to Healthwatch East Riding of Yorkshire (HWERY), specifically a high rate in the Bridlington area. Due to this rise in negative patient experiences, HWERY found it important to investigate the 
seriousness of the issues disclosed by patients and the challenges that people face because of these. 

Accessing GP appointments was a focus for this project, exploring if there are any significant barriers to doing so. A comparison between current care and previous care was able to be made for participants who completed the Healthwatch East Riding of Yorkshire GP Access Survey 2023. 

The aims of this survey consist of gaining a full understanding of the current GP access situation in Bridlington to allocate the most efficient and appropriate recommendations to promote improvement in services.

There are recommendations in this report.

Methods of Booking GP Appointments - Consider patients preferences of how they choose to book their GP appointments and allow them a range of choices in doing this rather than restricting them to for example, using the NHS app.

Signposting to Other Healthcare Services - The signposting procedure should be reviewed to prevent patients being directed to the wrong place with their health needs.

The Online Consultation Request Form - The online consultation request form should be investigated. Setting a target response time that patients should hear back from the practice and making patients aware of this could help with reducing calls/contact with the surgery to chase us requests.

Patient booking systems - The patient booking policies and procedures should be reviewed, following the volume of ‘very difficult’ responses to the booking methods.

The Use and Signposting to the NHS App - Ensure that patients know how the NHS app operates when signposting them there to prevent confusion or any further delay in their wait to gain a 
GP appointment. Assistance in setting up their account and using the app should be offered to help support patients.

Support during patient journey - Investigate why patients are not getting the support they need during long wait times from initial appointment requests to being seen by a medical professional.

Privacy in Disclosing Healthcare Needs at Reception - Ensure that all patients are aware that they can disclose their healthcare needs to the care navigators in a more private area. A sign or notice of this displayed could be useful for patients attending the surgery. Providing patients with an explanation of the importance of disclosing healthcare needs to a care navigator, as this can help to reduce wait times for patients.

There are follow up actions in this report. It will be sent to commissioners for response within 20 days.