Booking system for GP appointments in Nottinghamshire is an issue for residents

Between February and August 2022, Healthwatch Nottinghamshire asked people about their experience of accessing primary care.

The survey also explored whether people look for information and advice else-where, prior to contacting the GP practice, in order to understand how aware people are of alternative options for meeting their healthcare needs.

Healthwatch received 399 responses from people across Nottinghamshire.

People told Healthwatch of their high regard for the skill and attitude of GP staff.

However, the system for booking an appointment at a GP practices is not working for many people.

This included issues like no appointments being available, having to wait a long time on telephone lines and only being able to call at certain times.

Healthwatch found telephone continues to be the main way people are contacting their GP practice, although the majority go online to look for information about their health.

It said it may be that people prefer to contact their GP by phone, or are in the habit of doing this.

It could also be because the systems that should be in place for patients for patients to contact GPs online are not working as expected.

Sarah Collis, Healthwatch Nottinghamshire chairman, said: “Our survey shows booking systems are not always working for patients.

“We recognise the pressures on GPs caused by rises in demand and workforce shortages. However, not being able to access primary care will have the greatest impact on vulnerable communities and hence increase health inequalities.”

A spokesman for NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire said: “GP practices in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire continue to work hard to improve the experience of patients and have put a number of extra roles in place to help alleviate pressures and patient waiting times to be seen, with more people providing patient care than ever before.

“We were pleased to see that this survey carried out by Healthwatch, highlighted the good quality services that practices in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire continue to provide.

“We continue to work with practices to provide support to help them improve access to appointments for our citizens. We are grateful for the recommendations within this report and will continue to work with practices to explore how they might be implemented.”