GP Patient Survey results show primary care staff's efforts to improve people's experience of general practice are bearing fruit

Responding to the annual GP Patient Survey published by NHS England, Beccy Baird, Senior Fellow at The King’s Fund, said:

‘The results of this survey of over 700,000 people show that the huge efforts of primary care staff to improve people’s experience of general practice are bearing fruit.

‘Three quarters of patients reported that their overall experience of their GP practice was good, which is a small increase on last year. Our earlier research showed that making it easier to get a GP appointment was the British public’s number one priority for the NHS, so it is positive to see that people are finding it easier to access their GP. This includes many more people finding it simpler to contact their practice via phone, online and increasingly through the NHS App, which is an encouraging step forwards in achieving the government’s aim to create a more digitally enabled NHS.  

‘General practice is at the heart of the government’s goal to shift delivery of more care from hospital into the community and it is heartening to see that patients are increasingly satisfied both with getting access to general practice and then with the care they receive, with 9 out of 10 people saying that their needs were met at their last appointment.

‘Despite these improvements, patients in the most deprived areas are still reporting worse experiences. More needs to be done to address these health inequalities and ensure the NHS lives up to the principle that people should receive the same level of care regardless of where they come from and who they are.  

‘What is measured is what gets done and this survey is an invaluable tool for listening to patient voice. The challenge now is for national leaders and policy-makers to learn from what patients have said and act on the issues they raise to drive further improvement.’

Notes to editors

For further information, or to request an interview, please contact The King's Fund media team on 020 7307 2585 or [email protected].

The King's Fund is an independent charity working to improve people's health. Our vision is a world where everyone can live a healthy life. Our mission is to inspire hope and build confidence for positive change. We achieve this through expert insights and original research, developing leaders and their organisations, convening, and strategic, collaborative partnerships.