People's views help GPs spot ways to improve care

We spoke to Healthwatch Camden to find out more:

The issue

GP services are the number one issue that local people talk to us about. We were keen to understand what is working well or not so well across Camden’s GP practices, to help people better understand services and support providers to share best practice.

What did you do?

We looked at services across 36 GP surgeries in Camden, including five priority issues for people in the area, such as access to GPs for people who are Deaf, and online services.

Our findings, which we published in a report, showed a wide variation in both patient experience and the delivery of services. Every practice demonstrated strong performance in some areas while also showing room for improvement in other aspects of their service.

We also found that people with sensory impairments face communication challenges when accessing GP services.  

What happened as a result?

Our report has generated lots of interest with professionals about improving the quality of GP services, and is also being used by a range of NHS and voluntary organisations, including Patient Participation Groups.

We have already seen GP practices making important changes, which will help patients get a better service. For example, one practice has changed the way it delivers its cervical screening programme and several surgeries have asked for support to improve their “carer awareness” – one of the areas our report identified as a shortcoming.