Patient experiences of general practice in Richmond

Healthwatch Richmond upon Thames undertook research into local people's experience of GP services.  They undertook a survey to which 2,700 people responded.

Phone and in-person contact should be prioritised as they are the preferred and most accessible routes for all Richmond residents. The majority of patients prefer to contact their practice over the phone or in person. The importance of these ‘traditional’ contact routes should not be underestimated or reduced at the expense of digital routes.

There is an appetite for digital contact routes, if they are easy to use. Respondents were positive about email and the NHS app but gave negative feedback about third party apps and practice websites.

Neither contacting GP practices by calling at 8am or logging on at midnight serve patients well. While we support the NHS England programme to end 8am calling, moving the time, such as to online booking at midnight, does not address the issue.

Changes need to be made to online prescription ordering so that patients are alerted when their order has been processed. In addition, patients reported mistakes in their prescription when they left written notes on online forms. The systems, human and digital, need to be improved to limit room for error.

Maintain flexibility around contact routes. Enable patients to get in touch with their GP through whichever contact route suits them best: phone, inperson, email or through the NHS app. Patients should not be forced to go online if they do not want to.

Timely appointments need to be available to all patients. Over 10 per cent of patients could not get a timely appointment over the phone. This is a significant issue across the whole borough and means that patients cannot easily get the care they need.

Enable patients to see their GP of choice within a reasonable time frame. 52% of patients want to see a specific GP and where they do, there are usually good and rational reasons for this.

The systems around and the care provided through phone appointments needs to change. There is a significant gap between positive experiences of in-person appointments and phone appointments. This is due to issues around the timing of phone appointments and patients not feeling as cared for on the phone. Phone appointments can be well received where people do not require assessments and communication is not a factor.

Overall, respondents expressed a high level of satisfaction for appointments with professionals in additional roles. This is a really positive finding.

Clarify what additional roles can provide for patients. For all additional roles in general practice – from pharmacists to physician associates – there needs to be an easily accessible explanation on what these professionals can provide patients.

Ensure that patients know who they will be seeing for their appointment and that practice staff introduce themselves. 122 respondents didn’t know what professional they saw at their GP practice. This needs to change.