Our response to NHS England’s GP Patient Survey

NHS England has released the latest official statistics from the GP Patient Survey. The survey provides information on patients’ overall experience of primary care and accessing these services.

The latest survey finds that the majority of people have had a good overall experience of visiting their GP (85%). However, the percentage of respondents who found it easy to get through to their practice by phone has fallen by 8% to 70% since 2011-12. In addition, while 76% of people said they are satisfied with GP opening hours, this hides the preference for evening appointments for people working full or part-time.

Responding to the latest GP Patient Survey, our Interim Chair, Jane Mordue, said:

“It is great to see that the majority of people are happy with the standard of their GP surgery. People up and down the country tell us how much they value the relationships they have with their GPs and the hard work that they do. However, they also tell us that there is still room for improvement in accessing those services.

“Our recent survey found that, while overall people prefer appointment times during working hours, this hides massive levels of variation between working and non-working groups, with 84% of retirees favouring 9am-5pm slots, against just 22% of full- or part-time workers.

“This shows that more can be done so that all people can access the appointments that they need. From online and telephone appointments to weekday evening slots, patients have realistic ideas of how services can be improved. Additionally, 9 out of 10 people have told us that they are willing to see another primary care provider to relieve pressure on doctors, with nurses and pharmacists the most popular alternatives. Taking advantage of these ideas will not only improve patient experience, but also help to address some of the pressures on our NHS.”