– Almost half of the patients in 2022 booking an appointment did not get one they wanted
– 22% Increase in monthly searches for “GP appointments” over the last two years
– Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes is the hardest region to acquire an appointment
Following multiple lockdowns and suspension of non-urgent services during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK has seen delays in diagnosis and increased waiting times continuing into 2023. Recent data from the GP Patient Survey suggests almost half of the patients who tried to acquire a GP appointment did not get an appointment when they wanted or sooner¹.
With this in mind, and following a 22% increase in searches for the term “GP appointments” between December 2020 and December 2022², a new study from healthcare management consultancy Acumentice delves into the GP patient experience to find the easiest regions to get a GP appointment.
The new ranking is based on the percentage of patients per integrated Care Board (ICS) who advised they were offered some type of appointment when calling their local GP practice in the latest GP Patient Survey.
According to the study, the top ten easiest regions to get a GP appointment are:
1. Devon (67%)
2. Dorset (66%)
3. Gloucestershire (65%)
4. South West London (65%)
5. Herefordshire and Worcestershire (64%)
6. Somerset (64%)
7. North West London (63%)
8. Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire (63%)
9. North East and North Cumbria (62%)
10. Norfolk and Waveney (62%)
The research found Devon to be the easiest region to acquire an appointment, with a total of 9265 patients advising they were offered a type of appointment with a place (for an appointment in person), a time or day, or a choice of a healthcare professional.
According to the recent survey³, at one devon-based health centre in particular, almost nine in 10 (86%) patients were offered a choice of appointment when they last tried to make a general practice appointment, and 97% felt their needs were met during their last general practice appointment.
In second position is Dorset, following closely behind with a total of 5734 patients advising they were offered some type of appointment. The 2022 GP Patient Survey⁴ confirms more than nine in 10 (98%) patients at a certain Dorset-based practice found the receptionists at their GP practice helpful, and 91% described their experience of making an appointment as good.
With 4737 patients advising successful appointments made, Gloucestershire takes third place, followed closely by South West London (12,490) and Herefordshire and Worcestershire, which offered 5771 in total.
the top 10 most challenging regions to get a GP appointment:
1. Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes (49%)
2. Mid and South Essex (51%)
3. Birmingham and Solihull (52%)
4. Kent and Medway (52%)
5. Black Country (53%)
6. Frimley (54%)
7. Northamptonshire (55%)
8. Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (55%)
9. Hertfordshire and West Essex (55%)
10. Hampshire and Isle of Wight (55%)
The research found Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes to be the most challenging region to acquire an appointment, with a total of 4,751 patients advising they were not offered a type of appointment with a place (for an appointment in person), a time or day, or a choice of a healthcare professional.
According to the recent survey⁵, at one Bedfordshire-based health centre in particular, almost half (46%) of patients were not offered a choice of appointment when they last tried to make a general practice appointment, and 56% would not describe their experience of making an appointment positively.
Karina Malhotra, founder and managing director of Acumentice, summarises: “Although it is great to see so many practices and integrated care systems performing well when it comes down to the number of appointments, we are still seeing one in six patients overall enduring a poor experience across the country.
“It’s fair to say that the average patient and GP relationship still needs improvement; however, this is a symptom of the pressure that is being faced by all parts of the NHS. Due to the pandemic and following increasing demands, an immense strain has been placed on GP practices and their staff over the last two years.
“With this in mind, it’s essential that GPs and the wider NHS start reviewing the challenges they are facing at a granular level. There is no silver bullet solution to these issues. In some cases, utilising technology and data effectively may improve matters, but in others, it may be largely a workforce challenge.”
Acumentice works closely with Integrated Care Systems and their primary care systems to ascertain their individual access challenges to ensure that 2023 can deliver better results for NHS staff and patients.
To find out more about UK regions with the most GP complaints, please visit: https://acumentice.com/revealed-the-uk-regions-with-the-most-gp-complaints/
Get in touch with the Wild PR team for a press release specific to each region in the top ten.