Patient Experience Survey - Sutton 2020-2021
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Healthwatch Sutton worked with the South West London Clinical Commissioning Group to understand patient experience of access and consultations with their GP practices since March 2020. This survey was carried out from September – December 2020. Overall, 3004 patients completed this survey split across the 23 GP surgeries.
Nearly nine in ten patients had contacted their GP surgery since the lockdown period commenced in March 2020. From the patients that did not contact their GP, over four in five felt that they did not need to. The main reasons for those who wanted to contact their GP but did not do so felt that they did not want to disturb the surgery, were following COVID-19 rules or thought that their surgery was closed.
Patients had largely contacted their GP surgery via telephone. Other modes of contact used by patients included online, face to face, video consultation, email and other. Over three quarters found it easy to contact their GP surgery with 10.5% indicating that it wasn’t so easy. In the 2020 National GP Patient survey, 77% found it easy in Sutton, 72% in SWL CCG and 65% in England and Wales. Of patients that didn’t find it easy, the main reasons included long waiting times on the phone, phone not answered in the practice and long introductory message.
Most patients responded that they were not given the choice of appointment although 61% were happy with their appointment type, this figure moves up to 90% if considering the number that selected ‘not applicable’. Those who were unhappy with the appointment type offered, indicated that they wanted a face-to-face appointment as they thought a phone appointment was not as effective.
Seven in ten felt that overall safe and effective care had been received. Of those who answered ‘No’, the primary concern was around difficulty in getting an appointment. Additionally some would rather have had a face-to-face consultation and/or believed that a phone consultation would not have met their needs.
The report contains 5 recommendations.