The looming changes to the 2024 GP patient survey have sparked concerns among GP practices, who fear that alterations to the questions could hinder the tracking of patient satisfaction and potentially undermine crucial feedback on access to preferred health professionals.
CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on GP Online
NHS England has said the 2024 GP Patient Survey will be ‘the start of a new series’ and that changes to questions mean results will not be comparable to previous years.
Dr. Katie Bramall-Stainer, Chair of the BMA GP Committee, emphasised the significance of the survey as an essential tool reflecting the challenges faced by under-resourced general practices.
She warned: ‘Changes to the survey could make it much harder to track general practice data and evaluate any progress in patient satisfaction with access to care across the board, so it is important that consistent, annual questions remain in place.’
A shift towards modern practice access
NHS England has outlined that the modifications to the 2024 survey aim to provide a stronger focus on the patient experience of modern general practice access, aligning with the Primary Care Access Recovery Plan. This recovery plan encompasses improvements in digital telephony, streamlined online requests, and expedited navigation, assessment, and response.
Dr Bramall-Stainer warned that shifting the survey towards modern general practice could undermine its findings. She said: ‘The emphasis on modern general practice access may impact the feedback on patient choice when determining which member of the practice team is available to see, as opposed to who they might prefer to see.’
She added that the BMA looks ‘forward to receiving more clarity from NHS England on the GP patient survey, and will continue to work with them to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients’.
RCGP’s perspective
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) disclosed that it was not involved in the redesign of the GP patient survey.
College chair Professor Kamila Hawthorne said: ‘Data plays a crucial role in improving patient experience so it will be vital that the right questions are being asked and that there is some level of congruity with previous years.’
She added: ‘We will have to reserve judgment until we see the revised survey, but we hope it will reflect the complexities of general practice.’
The three-month survey is anticipated to provide valuable insights for ongoing service improvement. However, with concerns looming over potential disruptions in patient satisfaction tracking, GP practices and medical organisations eagerly await more clarity from NHS England.
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