GP Access check in
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Healthwatch Leeds undertook engagement with local people on access to GP surgeries. They gathered people's views by an online survey and by visiting local groups. In total they engaged with 649 people.
42% said their surgery had explained how answering the triage questions would help them get the outcome they needed.
64% felt the questions were easy to answer. When people didn’t feel the questions were easy to answer, the majority said this was because they didn’t feel comfortable or confident sharing medical information with a receptionist.
48% felt they got what they needed after triage. Most people who didn’t get the outcome they needed found the questions difficult to answer. Most people who didn’t get the outcome they needed also said that their surgery didn’t explain how answering the questions would help them.
People who got the outcome they needed often said this was because they got an appointment, or that the service was quick and efficient.
When people didn’t feel they got the outcome they needed, they most often said they felt they had been unnecessarily obstructed or diverted away to a different service, or that appointments had run out and they had no choice but to try again the next day.
Engagement with groups reported the following issues:
- Problems making an appointment
- Digital exclusion
- Accessibility issues
- Lack of reasonable adjustments
- Being able to have their questions answered.