July 10th 2025
Patients want a nearby practice, with clean waiting rooms, easy appointment booking using simple systems and with short waiting times, and to be kept informed about the process, according to a new study.
What patients want from access to UK general practice: systematic review published in the BJGP, finds that patients want practices to be within a neighbourhood rather than outside of it or want it close to their home.
The review, published as the NHS in England announced plans to create a new Neighbourhood Health Service, also showed that patients want information about how to access the general practice, choice of clinician, choice of healthcare professional type, and choice of consultation mode.
In the UK, recorded patient satisfaction with general practice has decreased in recent years and consultation numbers have risen to 34.3 million in 2023 from 30.8 million in 2019. At the same time, the number of full-time equivalent GPs has reduced, leading to reduced capacity to deliver appointments.
