Young Person’s Patient Access to GPs Survey Report

Healthwatch Gloucestershire has received feedback from young people that they sometimes have difficulty understanding how GP systems work or how to successfully obtain appointments. As part of the work plan activity on this topic area, HWG decided to conduct an additional survey to gather feedback from young people aged 13 to 19 about the services that are on offer and how they feel about them. The survey was conducted from 1 to 24 February 2017. It was available in both online and paper formats and open to anyone in Gloucestershire. 26 people responded.

Although the respective number of comments suggests respondents view their experiences positively overall, Staff and Appointments are the two areas with both the most positive comments and the most suggestions for improvement 

Mental health support and LGBT issues were the only specific healthcare areas identified by respondents as requiring improvement; all other comments were more general about GPs and surgeries 

Improvements to provision of information were suggested by the response to the survey.

•  Over half of respondents (54%) were either unsure of their rights as a patient or did not understand them; 
• 42% would like more information about the range of services provided by their GP, surgery and pharmacist, although 38% would not like further information 

In conclusion, although the overall number of respondents was low the survey does reflect the feedback received by HWG from young people as to their understanding of the GP surgery system and to their successfully obtaining appointments. It is also highlights specific health areas raised by young people as requiring improvement in their experience. It is hoped that these issues will be taken into consideration in future planning processes in the county