The results of this year’s national GP Patient Survey (GPPS) show high overall levels of patient satisfaction (79%) with Gloucestershire GP practices – well above the national (England) average of 74%.

The annual survey assesses patients’ experiences of healthcare services provided by GP practices across a range of topics, from confidence and trust in healthcare professionals, satisfaction with levels of care to ease of making appointments, how requests were dealt with and suitability of appointment times.

Results are presented at GP practice, Primary Care Network (PCN), Integrated Care System (ICS) and national level. In the One Gloucestershire Integrated Care System (ICS) area, 19,648 questionnaires were sent out and 7,646 were returned completed, representing a response rate of 39%.

The results show that confidence and trust in the county’s GP practice teams remains high at 94%, with 90% of patients reporting that they felt listened to at their appointment and 94% reporting that they felt involved in decisions about their care and treatment. 88% of patients were happy that they were treated with care and concern.

Dr Ananthakrishnan Raghuram MBE, Chief Medical Officer at NHS Gloucestershire, said:

“We welcome these results which show that patients’ overall experience with Gloucestershire GP practices is positive, above the national average and amongst the highest in the South West.

“This is testament to the commitment of GP surgery teams across the county who have been working incredibly hard to provide the best possible care under great pressure.

“GP surgeries are facing a record increase in requests from patients whilst many are experiencing staffing and financial pressures. They deserve huge recognition for their dedication to patient care and their work to embrace innovative practices and local partnerships.

“Given the extent of the challenges in primary care, we believe GP practices should be commended for maintaining such high standards overall across a range of survey themes.

“However, we are not complacent as we know that not all patients report a positive experience. There is some variability for patients across the county accessing appointments and some patients have had to wait longer than any of us would like for non-urgent appointments.

“NHS Gloucestershire recognises the urgent need to work with all partners – locally and nationally – to tackle the underlying pressures on GP practices and their teams.”

Helen Goodey, Director of Primary Care and Place at NHS Gloucestershire said:

“There are many challenges in primary care and the pressure is unrelenting. We are pleased that the continued focus on improving access and patient experience is reflected in the survey results, but more needs to be done at every level to support the sustainability of general practice and provide a more secure future.”

Dr Bob Hodges, Chair of Gloucestershire Local Medical Committee, said:

“We know how important it is for people to receive the right care and support from their GP practice in a way that meets their needs, and these results provide a useful insight into patient experience.

“Whilst pleased with the overall picture, we recognise that some patients are experiencing frustration and there is variation in access for a variety of reasons. However, it’s essential we highlight the incredible hard work and resilience of practice staff. It is a monumental challenge to meet ever increasing levels of need within the context of staffing and financial pressures.

“We will continue to work closely with NHS Gloucestershire and all interested parties to ensure that our practices get the support they undoubtedly need to continue to serve patients to the best of their ability.”

NHS Gloucestershire is continuing to progress its long-term GP premises development and delivery plan to improve the patient experience; six schemes, with a total capital value of £36.7m that will serve 74,000 patients across the county, have been approved.

Dentistry

This year’s survey also asked patients about their experiences with pharmacies and NHS dentists.

NHS Gloucestershire recognises that patient experiences of NHS dental services falls below the national average in the county.

Improving access to NHS dentistry is a key priority for NHS Gloucestershire and its partners, and we are determined to improve the situation for residents.

We are actively working with local dentists, with help from patient representatives, to bring more services on board.

Good progress has been made to ensure that anyone who does not have a dentist can access an urgent dental appointment. There are currently 50 urgent care appointments available each week at clinics across the county, including weeknight and weekend clinics, and we are continuing to increase this number. Patients can access these appointments by contacting NHS 111.

A number of dental practices are now providing additional NHS appointments for patients not registered with a dentist, to help them avoid the need for frequent, urgent support. Over 200 appointments, which may include follow-up appointments, are now provided each week across the county, meaning that patients should not need to travel too far.

We are working hard to increase the number of appointments being provided for patients and are holding regular meetings with dental practices to review their activity and understand the challenges they are facing.

We anticipate that a planned increase in the value of each dental intervention (Units of Dental Activity) will help to increase the number of appointments provided over the next three years for Gloucestershire patients.

More information

More information and data on GP services, access, appointments and developments can be found here.

The full 2024 GP Patient Survey results can be found at: https://gp-patient.co.uk/practices-search