Registering with a GP practice
Download (PDF 245.41 KB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Greenwich wanted to review the ease of registering with a GP, so undertook mystery shopping calls with GP surgeries and reviewed information on GP surgery websites.
In almost all cases, mystery shoppers were asked to go online to find information on how to register as a new patient. Not a single practice asked if callers had the necessary digital skills/equipment/confidence to go online to find and interrogate the website.
Most practices insisted on proof of ID and address to register as a new patient. When mystery shoppers challenged this, most practices said that they couldn’t register.
When the mystery shoppers asked how to register an elderly relative coming to live in the UK to be near family, most practices asked about their immigration status. Two thirds said they could not register the relative without specific documentation.
Nearly three in five GP surgeries said they would be willing to help the mystery shoppers complete the registration form. One had a dedicated day each week where they offered this kind of help.
When the mystery shopper called on behalf of an elderly family member, not fluent in English, most surgeries told them to bring them in and an interpreter could be arranged.
Over half of GP surgeries offered online patient registration. Of those with online registration, half made clear that documents are required to register.
Links to the registration page was not always accessible. They checked sites over several days – and the registration page at some GP surgeries was unavailable for an extended period of time.
A small number of websites require new patients to download and print registration forms which may be tricky for those without IT equipment or a printer.
The report contains 8 recommendations.