Making it easier to access local GP services  

Improving access to General Practice (GP) is one of the NHS’s top priorities. The national plans focus on improving patient access to GP services across the UK, with the local NHS delivering their own improvement plans for local people. 

The NHS primary care access recovery plan, while nationally led, builds on work already happening locally across mid and south Essex to improve access to services. It sets out how the NHS will make it easier and more convenient for patients to get the help they need from primary care services, for example: 

• Tackling the 8am rush for appointments and reducing the number of people struggling to contact their GP surgery. 
• Improving patient satisfaction by making sure people know how their healthcare requests will be handled by their GP surgery. 
• Helping people get quicker access to what they need by supporting a move to more digital options, such as cloud-based telephony systems and encouraging the use of the NHS App. 
• Expanding pharmacy services so patients can get more help for their health without having to make an appointment at their GP surgery. 

Some local GP surgeries have already made great progress to introduce new ways of working to deliver more appointments and better access. We continue to support our GP surgeries and community pharmacies to build up the foundations required to meet the aims of the national delivery plan.  

In recent years, we have made good progress in supporting better access to GP services, examples include: 

• nearly 600 new professionals are now working in the wider primary care workforce 
• the numbers of GPs (including trainee GPs) have increased from 635 full-time equivalents in April 2023 to 656 in February 2024 
• over 6.2 million consultations were delivered in GP surgeries from May 2023 to March 2024, which is an 7% increase to the previous year 
• 77% of these consultations were delivered face to face (which is higher than the national average of 65%) 
• 82% of the patients were seen within 2 weeks of their appointments being made. 

To learn more about our next steps to improve access, please read on. 

Promoting use of the NHS website and NHS App 

The NHS website has a wealth of information to help you manage your health, including a comprehensive health guide and symptom checker, information on medicines, and healthy living tools and advice. The NHS website has also been expanded to include information on local services, and improvements have been made to the heart and blood pressure monitoring tools. 

For the NHS App, people can now view their clinical records (including test results), order repeat prescriptions, view messages from their GP surgery, and manage routine appointments securely through the App. More people will also be able to self-refer for specific conditions, too. 

Promoting the use of pharmacies first 

Community pharmacies can now offer treatment for seven common conditions without patients needing to see a GP. 

Highly trained pharmacists at approximately 98% of local pharmacies in mid and south Essex can now assess and provide treatment for earache, impetigo, infected insect bites, shingles, sinusitis, sore throat, and urinary tract infections (UTIs) for women aged 16-64 – without the need for a GP appointment. 

If the pharmacy team is unable to help, they can direct you to the right healthcare professional for your needs. 

By expanding the services community pharmacies offer, the NHS is aiming to give people more choice in how and where they access care and help free up  appointments at GP surgeries.  

Modernising ways of working in GP services  

It is important that GP services continue to explore opportunities to modernise in line with evolving patient expectations. We are therefore supporting GP surgeries and Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to move to digital systems and improve access to services. 

Easier access: 

Local insight tells us that many people struggle to get through to their surgeries to make an appointment on the same day. Investment in better telephone technology for GP teams will allow surgeries to manage call queues, including calling patients back rather than patients having to wait on the phone. This will mean people can get through to their surgery easier, and they will no longer have to rush for an appointment at 8am or be told to call back another day. 

Most urgent needs prioritised: 

People will be prioritised with the most urgent issues, regardless of when they contact their GP surgery or how (for example within the surgery, over the phone, or online). 

Over the last few years, surgery teams have expanded to include a wide range of healthcare professionals who work alongside GPs and nurses to ensure patients receive the care they need as quickly as possible. 

The Care Navigator role is central to this and focuses on triaging patients to the most appropriate healthcare professional or service for their clinical needs. 

For people who don’t have access to the internet: 

The plan recognises the needs of people who are not confident or do not have access to digital technology or the internet, as well as those who don’t have access to a private space for calls. 

Whether patients choose to contact their surgery in person or over the phone, Care Navigators will be available to help patients use digital systems as well as guide them to any help available (for example, local support groups for digital inclusion). 

Expanding the range of healthcare professionals now available in local GP surgeries: 

Following investment in primary care, surgery teams are made up of a range of health professionals who work at your GP surgery and in the wider community to help you get the right care when you need it.

There is a mix of staff working in each surgery across mid and south Essex, so please check with your surgery’s reception team to find out which roles are available for you to access. You may be able to access healthcare services from a particular healthcare professional at another GP surgery within your Primary Care Network (PCN) area.