Experiences of accessing GP practices 2024/25

In 2024, based on feedback from local people, Healthwatch Wandsworth, as the independent champion for users of health and social care, chose to create a project focused on understanding patient experience of access to primary care, focusing on GP practices.  They wanted to understand why it could be difficult for some people to access their GP practice and to make recommendations that influence change.

They spoke to 47 patients registered with Wandsworth GP practices and staff from 6 different practices within the borough. They also analysed other relevant data sources including the 2024 and 2025 National GP Patient Survey, NHS App data and the Healthwatch SWL Accessible Information Standard (AIS) project.

The findings indicate that while not every experience with GP practices is straightforward or positive, the large majority of those in Wandsworth that have shared their experience through national and local surveys are satisfied with their experience of primary care. While many respondents indicated overall satisfaction with their GP practice there were instances of dissatisfaction with various aspects such as waiting times and being able to contact the practice with ease.

A major theme that emerged is that the way patients attempt to contact their GP practice still varies greatly. As seen by the National GP Patient Survey there has been a clear increase in the use of online methods for contacting their practice. Nevertheless, the traditional methods of phoning up or walking in person to the practice in order to get support are still used by a substantial percentage of people across the borough. 

Healthwatch found that not all patients were aware that their practice carried out triage or total triage for support and appointments and what this meant. In addition, they found that while use of online forms has been growing as a preferred method for contacting the GP practice, usage of the NHS App for this remains low with patients saying that they found the unclear wording around contacting the practice a barrier to using it.

A concern expressed by patients  was that the increasing digitisation of primary care would lead to them being left behind if they did not have the skills to use these forms of access. There was a fear that even those who had expressed that they have certain accessibility and communication needs would not have their preferences honoured by practices. 

The Healthwatch South West London Accessible Information Standard project indicated that, while most GP staff had some level of awareness of the AIS, the way the practice implemented and followed it varied greatly. Patients also indicated concern that the way practices were operating had led to a reduction in their ability to make choices regarding their care and/or to voice their concerns. This primarily concerned dissatisfaction with triage, its associated wait times and the inability to see a specific member of staff at the appointment. In addition, Healthwatch found that the utilisation and effectiveness of Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) to help patients have their voice heard varied greatly between practices.