Opinion: A need for change – patient experience isn’t acceptable

There is more money going into the NHS. A lot more, both in terms of its regular budget and recovery from the pandemic’s impact on services. Sadly, this isn’t being reflected in everyone’s experience, writes Peterborough MP Paul Bristow.
The ongoing inability of many patients to get appointments is exacerbating the problems at A&E, writes Paul Bristow MPThe ongoing inability of many patients to get appointments is exacerbating the problems at A&E, writes Paul Bristow MP
The ongoing inability of many patients to get appointments is exacerbating the problems at A&E, writes Paul Bristow MP

It’s a reminder that money alone isn’t enough. As with the global supply chain, stopping whole chunks of the NHS during the pandemic has triggered subsequent problems.

Given the pressure on hospitals during lockdown, I know they didn’t always have much choice about cancelling certain procedures and surgery. That applied less to diagnostic work, which is in some cases is being felt in missed diagnoses for conditions like cancer.

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Unlike hospitals, GP surgeries didn’t have wards full of Covid patients. But they too had challenges. The ongoing inability of many patients to get appointments is exacerbating the problems at A&E. I want to stress that many local GP surgeries have been exemplary. Others have not. In the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to get some sense of how widespread the problem remains.

So I ran an online survey. Now, before I get (unnecessary) comments on Twitter, I’m aware that that surveys aren’t necessarily representative. Nevertheless, if 5 people using a particular GP surgery all say that they can’t get an appointment, common sense suggests that there might be a problem with getting an appointment there.

Given nearly 500 people from across Peterborough responded, providing their home addresses, contact details and identifying their GP practice, I take the results seriously. And they don’t make for happy reading.

First, some basic numbers. Over 80% said they couldn’t get an appointment with their GP. Fewer than 10% found it “easy” or “fairly easy”. It’s worth noting that many were open to new methods being used, with 42% wanting a telephone appointment or happy with a mix. They still couldn’t get that – and less than a third had the option to book online, despite that saving everyone’s time.

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Only 14% of people were satisfied overall and a whopping 94% said that their GP services hadn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. Perhaps most worryingly, a third had been encouraged to use A&E by their surgery. No wonder our emergency departments are struggling.

Beyond the numbers, I also sat reading the individual comments. That brings home what the numbers really mean, in terms of what some residents have been forced to endure.

Here’s just one: “You are told to go to A&E. When you get there, you are there all day. That is my experience on two occasions. Also, I had to wait three weeks for a doctor’s phone appointment. When you ring at 8am you are waiting ages, then told all appointments have gone.”

This isn’t acceptable. Most of our GPs are getting it right and more are trying, but – with some – the need for change has become urgent.