GP Patient Survey 2024: Insights and Implications for General Practice

GP Patient Survey 2024 have been published, shedding light on patient experiences in general practice, NHS dentistry, and community pharmacy. This year’s survey, conducted between 2 January and 25 March 2024, saw nearly 700,000 completed questionnaires.

Key Findings

  • GP Practices: 73.9% of patients reported a good overall experience.
  • Contacting GP Practices: 67.3% had a positive experience.
  • Out-of-Hours NHS Services: 55.9% rated their experience as good.
  • NHS Dental Services: 69.2% had a favourable experience.
  • NHS Pharmacy Services: A new addition to the survey, with 86.8% of users reporting a good experience.

Context and Controversies

This year marks the beginning of a new data series, making comparisons to previous years invalid due to changes in the questionnaire and methodology.

Importance for Practices

While results may be controversial, they play a crucial role in regulation. Practices must respond comprehensively, addressing areas for improvement, as these results will be scrutinised during inspections. Ensuring that agreed actions are in progress is vital for demonstrating commitment to enhancing patient care.

Next Steps

Practices should:

  • Review the survey results at the ICB, PCN, and practice levels on the dedicated GP Patient Survey website.
  • Identify areas requiring improvement.
  • Develop and implement action plans.
  • Ensure all staff are aware of and engaged with the improvement processes.

Engaging with the survey results proactively will not only help in meeting regulatory expectations but also in genuinely improving patient experiences across all services.

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