Changes to the way people access and receive care have resulted in more local people benefitting from GP appointments than ever before.
Thanks to a wide range of local initiatives helping more people get the help they need, when and how they need it, around seven million appointments were delivered in local GP practices in 2024. This represents a 5% increase from 2023.
Since the launch of national plans in May 2023, GP surgeries have been supported to improve their online and telephone services, hire more staff and introduce new, more efficient ways to access GP services.
Patients are also benefitting from more expertise and clinical support in general practice teams. Local GP teams have grown by the equivalent of 263 full-time staff since April 2023, with more staff like physiotherapists, nurse practitioners, mental health practitioners, and advanced nurse practitioners helping patients get timely care.
Pam Green, Executive Director for Primary Care at NHS Mid and South Essex said, “With more appointments and digital tools available, and hundreds of new clinical staff joining our teams, patients can contact us in a way that works for them and quickly see the right healthcare professional for their needs. This helps provide continuity of care and better outcomes and satisfaction for patients. We recognise there’s still work to do to meet the growing demands on our services, but these changes provide a foundation for us to continue to deliver more care closer to home.”
Digital tools enhancing access to care
Increased use of the NHS App is helping patients manage their health, book GP appointments, and order repeat prescriptions without having to contact their practice. The NHS App has seen a surge in use over 2024, with a 65% increase in logins in 2024 compared to 2023, and a 35% increase in people using the repeat prescription feature.
The rollout of ‘total triage’ and new GP online appointment systems is also making it easier for patients to access support. Instead of an 8am rush to call the GP practice, most patients can now submit online requests at a more suitable time for them. Since April 2024, almost 8.5 million online consultation submissions have been made for non-urgent requests like booking appointments, medication queries, and administrative tasks. This is a 42% increase on 2023 figures.
The switch to new GP appointment systems and ‘total triage’ has supported many practices to improve patient access. These systems help practices to prioritise patients based on clinical need and to ensure they get an appointment with the right healthcare professional. As a result, many practices no longer have an 8am rush for appointments, a key aim of the national plan.
Janice Nightingale, Practice Manager at Kingsway Surgery, South Woodham Ferrers, said:
‘We are working hard to improve access for patients. We’ve gone from offering 42 appointments a day, to about 170 on average. This has really benefitted the patients massively. The flow through the whole surgery has improved – so staff are also much happier. Thanks to cloud-based telephony, we no longer have a long queue on the phones in the morning. Feedback from patients has been very positive – they love the call back function as it gives them much more flexibility. It really has made a big difference and has improved the surgery drastically, so that we can spend more time taking care of our patients.’
Many local patients are also seeing the benefits of the new systems. Peter, a local Essex resident said:
“I have used my practice’s online system a few times now and it is giving me better access to my GP. I can communicate in my own way, in my own words, and there is no need to explain the problem over the phone.
“I used the messaging service to inform the surgery that a medication they had prescribed for me was causing some unexpected problems. Very early the next day, I received a call from a doctor who, after a brief chat, was immediately able to send a prescription for an alternative drug directly to our village pharmacy.
“I was very satisfied with the service. It was very quick and easy to use.
“This is not the only time that my family and I have used it, and it seems they are making very good use of software to provide an improved service.”
Wider services in the community provide even more access to care
Patients can also directly book local healthcare services without needing a referral from their GP practice. Services such as physiotherapy, ear and eye care, weight management, community podiatry, and wheelchair and community equipment services are available as local NHS self referral services, as well as a wide range of health and wellbeing services available in local pharmacies and the local community through Essex Frontline.
To find out more about local work taking place to improve access: