Some Patients Aren't Spoilt For Choice, UK

Main Category: Primary Care / General Practice
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 24 Jan 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Some people are still finding it difficult to get GP appointments when they need them and this is their number one healthcare priority, according to a Which? survey.

The consumer organisation asked the general public to choose their top three health priorities. The top choice with 28 per cent was getting an appointment at a GP practice when needed.

The second most popular choice with 25 per cent was making evening / weekend appointments with a GP.* This could be because - even if a doctor's appointment were available - some people find it difficult to attend due to caring responsibilities or work commitments.

Although most people could get an appointment to suit their needs, a significant minority of 20 per cent said they found it fairly or very difficult.

Which? asked the local Patient Public Involvement (PPI) Forum for Hartlepool to visit McKenzie House GP surgery.** It found more than 20 people queuing outside at 8.30am on a cold Monday. They included a disabled man on crutches and another man who was queuing on behalf of his 94-year-old grandmother who was trying to keep warm in his car.

A local resident told Which?: "You can't get through on the phone and, when you do, there are no appointments for days… There aren't any other surgeries in the area, so the choice is: take it or leave it."

The survey also shows that that most people (76 per cent) who want to make healthcare choices would get information from their GP to help them decide. People can get advice from local pharmacists, but only 16 per cent would do so.

Which? thinks that people should have clear, readily available information about the healthcare options in their communities, such as walk-in centres or community pharmacies, so they can choose the best service for their needs.

A straightforward guide to making the right local healthcare choices is available at http://www.which.co.uk/healthcare.

Neil Fowler, Editor, Which?, says:

"People's top health priority is simple - to get a GP appointment when they need one. Getting an appointment in the evening or at the weekend is also high on their agenda, which might be because they find it hard to get to the GP's surgery during normal working hours.

"The UK government says it's working towards giving us more local healthcare choices, but it's important that people know what's on offer and when it's available, so that choice becomes a reality."

Notes:

In September and October 2007, Which? interviewed 2,044 members of the UK general public (aged 16-plus) about their choices in primary (community) healthcare.

*The third priority with 19 per cent was having routine tests / treatments at a GP practice rather than hospital. 18 per cent wanted to see someone from their GP practice out of hours.

**This surgery was chosen because it was criticised back in 2005 by its local (PPI) Forum. Which? asked the Forum to return in October 2007 to see if appointments had improved.

http://www.which.co.uk