General Practice Experiences: Evidence and Insight Project

Key findings

Three major themes emerged, in order of how often they came up:

• Patient-staff interactions — the most frequently raised theme. Most people described positive experiences, with GPs and nurses praised for explaining things clearly, listening attentively, and showing compassion, and many reception staff described as friendly and helpful. However, a substantial number of people reported feeling unheard, dismissed, or treated without compassion, and some described rude or intrusive reception staff. Continuity of care — seeing the same GP — was also valued, particularly by people with complex health needs or mental health difficulties, though many felt this was increasingly hard to get.
• Making appointments — this theme was disproportionately negative. Many people described extreme difficulty getting through on the phone, often queuing 30–40 minutes only to find no appointments left, particularly under "phone at 8am" booking systems. Some also raised discomfort with being asked to disclose medical details to receptionists as part of triage, including two examples where people felt seriously unwell patients were turned away by non-clinical staff.
• Accessing services — waiting times were often reported as much longer than the national average (two weeks), with some people waiting three to six weeks or more for an appointment. People also raised difficulty fitting appointments around work and caring responsibilities, and a smaller but important number of people described inequalities in access linked to homelessness, language barriers, disability, and lack of access to online services.

Recommendations

• Reinforce the importance of positive interactions by ensuring all healthcare and administrative staff understand the impact small gestures can have on patient wellbeing.
• Work with patients to improve the booking experience, recognising there is no "one size fits all" solution, and ensure patients are fully informed on how to use their practice's system.
• Review appointment-making processes to ensure reception staff do not inadvertently block people from accessing care.
• Promote continuity of care by prioritising patients seeing the same GP for routine appointments where possible.
• Raise awareness of alternative or extended access hours.
• Ensure services work effectively together for homeless people, and that staff work sensitively with this group.
• Allow for longer appointments or discussion of more than one issue where needed, recognising the time cost of asking patients to return.