GP patient survey: Getting an appointment is harder but decline in satisfaction slows

Patients are increasingly finding it hard to access their GP and get appointments, according to the latest GP patient survey for England, although the overall worsening trend in satisfaction ratings has slowed down.

The survey from NHS England was based on 759 143 questionnaires completed between January and April this year.1 It found that only around half (54.4%) of patients reported having a good experience trying to book a general practice appointment (down from 56.2% in 2022) and less than half (49.8%) found it easy to get through on the phone (down from 52.7% in 2022).

Securing an appointment was also an issue for some patients, as the survey showed that 15.9% of patients said they had tried to get an appointment but could not, either because one was not offered or because they were unable to take the offered slot. This proportion has risen from 10.1% of patients in 2021. Consequently, 12.2% of patients who could not secure an appointment at their general practice went to emergency departments for care instead, up from 7.6% in 2021.

Overall patient satisfaction dropped slightly to 71.3% in 2023 (down from 72.4% in 2022), but this was a substantial slowdown from the drop that occurred between 2021 and 2022, when satisfaction fell 10.6%, from 83% to 72.4%.

Nevertheless, the quality of care provided by practices was rated highly, and most patients (83.8%) described the clinician who treated them in terms of care and concern as either “fairly” or “very” good, a slight rise from 83.5% in 2022.

The proportion of patients who felt that their needs had been met remained high at 91% of respondents, which was unchanged from 2022, but down from 94% in 2021.

Doctors’ leaders praised general practices’ performance but argued that patients’ experiences underlined the strain on services.

Michael Mulholland, honorary secretary of the Royal College of GPs, said, “The latest findings from the survey reflect an overstretched and overburdened service, with hardworking staff managing to provide a positive experience for patients despite facing intense workload and workforce pressures.”

Richard van Mellaerts, BMA England GP committee deputy chair, said, “While many of these findings are positive, we should not be lulled into thinking that all is well and good in general practice. Delivering the highest quality care under these conditions is taking its toll on GPs, and GP numbers will continue to decline unless something is done to stem the tide of GPs leaving.”

Commenting on the report, Tim Gardner, assistant director of policy at think tank the Health Foundation, said that the survey results showed that “patients are continuing to experience unacceptable difficulties accessing GP services, resulting in avoidable pain and distress, with immense pressure being felt right across the NHS.”

Sarah Scobie, acting director of research at fellow think tank the Nuffield Trust, said, “Patients appear to be facing major difficulties in getting an appointment. While the government has set out plans to improve this for patients, GP surgeries will need time to improve phone and administrative processes which will not be easy while dealing with greater patient need for care and GP shortages.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said, “We know how vital GPs are to local communities, and we’re committed to increasing capacity so general practices can offer more appointments from more staff than ever before.”