GP access review

Healthwatch Herefordshire carried a survey in groups and online between July and October 2017. 313 people participated making over 3,000 comments. There is a mix of ages, GP practices, and geographical spread represented in the survey respondents, and over half of those who took part said they had a long term condition.

The questions asked people about their experience of registering with a GP, booking appointments, if people knew what services were available through their GP practice, how often patients visited the surgery, and how people found getting to the surgery as well as access to the practice once they arrived. There was a further set of questions relating to the closure of the local Walk-In Centre.

Issues revealed in patient stories included: Lack of Practitioner/Surgery/Reception clinical expertise; continuity and customer care; concerns about out of hours services; concerns about conditions that may not be covered by NHS; reasonable adjustments not being made; lack of clear information; telephone triage concerns; accuracy of medical records; lack of coordination/joint working across health and social care.

Experiences were mixed although the majority thought their experience acceptable if ‘OK’ and ‘Good’ are added together. However, over a third of survey participants have had bad experiences of booking appointments by telephone and online. Many patients expressed positive experiences of their surgeries, of the staff, of getting appointments, of reasonable adjustments and of the 111 service.

The report raised a series of questions that Healthwatch Herefordshire have drawn from the responses and plan to put to commissioners.

Eight recommendations were made that covered the local offer, facilities, information provision to patients, and the need to make reasonable adjustments for patients with additional needs. Healthwatch Herefordshire indicate in the report that the responses to these will be published in a future final report.