Online survey responses: getting to see a GP - your experiences

Healthwatch Islington ran an online survey between September and December 2021 to find out if and how the experience of accessing the GP had changed during the pandemic. 70 respondents took part.

Telephone remained the most popular access route. 46 of the 70 respondents said they had usually contacted their GP by phone before the pandemic.

e-consult has been introduced to GP websites as a new means of access. However, 36 of the 58 respondents who had contacted their GP in the last six months said they contacted them by phone. Long waits for a call to be answered was the difficulty most frequently mentioned by respondents, followed by lack of available appointments or long waits for appointments. 35 of the 58 respondents who had contacted their GP in the last six months reported difficulties. 25 out of 68 respondents reported difficulties prior to the pandemic (2 respondents had not contacted their GP in the six months prior to the pandemic).

Many respondents had looked at their GP practice website. They did this primarily to find out how to contact the GP or to use e-consult. 29 of the 46 respondents who had visited their practice website reported being able to find the information they needed , 1 could partially and 16 could not.

Feedback on e-consult was mixed For working people in particular, an online platform can be much more convenient than trying to get through to someone by phone. However, some respondents felt that e-consult was unsuitable for certain requirements, and others complained that practices did not respond within the timeframes stated on the e-consult form.

A high proportion of people said telephone consultations were problematic. 38 of the 47 respondents who had been offered a telephone appointment in the last six months felt that it did give them enough time to discuss their issues. 26 of those 47 respondents said they had no problems with telephone appointments but 21 reported difficulties.