Age UK focus group: GP access and signposting
GP Access project
New figures show that GP teams delivered more than 28.7 million appointments in June 2024 – up one fifth on the same period pre-pandemic.
Following the North West London Integrated Care System’s (ICS) proposal to launch ‘same day hubs’ and the developments that have occurred around this, we have been working on a project focusing on GP access to allow people to share their experiences and preferences.
Age UK focus group
We held a focus group with Age UK on 25 July at Regent Hall to give people the opportunity to share more in-depth feedback about their experiences with accessing GP services. Most of those in attendance were Age UK clients over the age of 65.
We discussed accessibility accommodations for patients who are not digitally literate and/or have physical or visual impairments. Among the feedback that was shared, one participant expressed her satisfaction with St John’s Wood Medical Practice. One reason for this is that the practice addressed her concerns about the automated recorded message by changing it to include more accessible options for those who are digitally excluded. She also noted that the practice has both online and printed newsletters and the Patient Participation Group meetings are hybrid.
Another participant shared that her surgery offers out of office hour appointments, namely weekday evening and Saturday morning appointments, specifically for employed people and this is something that she is quite pleased with.
Some participants were also happy with the fact that St John’s Wood Pharmacy offers home deliveries, and that Lloyds pharmacy has the option of requesting emergency prescriptions and using a prescription QR code to receive medication at any chemist. Others mentioned that the Pharmacy First scheme helps to relieve pressure off doctors and saves the NHS money; a few participants had experiences of using it, and they all found it satisfactory.
In terms of areas where there is room for improvement, one resident noted that there are very few Parkinson’s nurses across Westminster. She said that, ever since her diagnosis, she has been struggling to access a qualified nurse to assist her and is currently receiving therapy and care in Kensington & Chelsea. Parkison’s nurses play a vital role in helping people to manage their condition and medication so that they get the best results and fewer side effects.
We also touched upon the topic of hospital complaints. Concerns were raised around the difficulty of reaching different hospitals’ Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) teams and so we shared some signposting resources about the different options that people can use to make a complaint.
Our project on GP access is now coming to an end and the report with the findings will soon be published.
