GP surgeries in York: accessibility audit findings

Healthwatch York carried out audits at 33 GP surgeries across York from November 2024 - February 2025. 

They carried out specific accessibility audits as part of these visits.

The accessibility audit was about fact finding to understand how accessible York’s GP surgeries are for a range of people, including wheelchair users, those with mobility issues, blind and partially sighted people, those with hearing loss, including British Sign Language users, and people for whom English is not their first language.

The audits were not a test, but rather to understand what is and isn’t provided at different surgeries across York. Volunteers and staff members visited each surgery and completed a survey capturing their observations alongside questions asked of reception or other surgery staff. Each surgery only had one visit as part of this project.

The result was a varied picture with some good practice and some areas for improvement. Many of the improvements we identified are simple to rectify. There are many recommendations towards the end of the report.