The NHS and local GPs are working together to help tackle the 8am rush for appointments, with new technology to help see their patients more quickly and free up appointments.
Practices have introduced electronic consultation forms on their websites and via the NHS App to allow patients to pick the option that best suits them. This could be a request for an appointment, following up on test results or asking for a copy of their notes, freeing up phone lines for others. There are always face to face appointments available for those who need them.
All GP practices in south west London have also upgraded their telephone systems, meaning callers are placed in a queue or given the option of a call back.
In such challenging times for the NHS it is so good to hear that the vast majority of people speak highly of their local practice and the care they receive.
Merton GP Dr Laura Jarvie
With just under half of appointments delivered on the same day they are booked, and 87% of appointments within 14 days, the approach is having tangible benefits for patients.
Findings of the 2024 GP Patient Survey also revealed that patients feel good about the care they receive. When asked about their most recent appointment, more than 90% of south west London respondents had confidence in the person providing their care and felt their needs were met. The survey also showed that people in south west London find it easier to contact their GP by phone or online than the England and London averages.
Alongside the survey results, NHS data shows that GP teams in south west London are delivering more appointments than before the pandemic. The figures show that around 735,000 appointments were delivered in May 2024 compared to 494,000 in the same month in 2019, an increase of almost 50%.
Merton GP Dr Laura Jarvie said: “In such challenging times for the NHS it is so good to hear that the vast majority of people speak highly of their local practice and the care they receive.
“Patients really value the compassion and expertise of their family doctor and want reliable and straightforward ways of accessing that care. Our practice, and those across south west London, have worked hard during the past year to respond to patient feedback and improve our phone and online systems, finding innovative ways to help people get the care they need.
“While we know we still have work to do, it is gratifying to hear our efforts are bringing results.”
Sutton GP Dr Raza Toosy from Park Road Surgery, Wallington, added: “With the new systems we have in place, we can now ensure that patients are seen in the most appropriate setting — whether that’s online, by telephone, or face-to-face. This allows us to optimise appointment times to meet patients’ needs while maintaining clinical safety.
“Upgrading our phone lines has also been beneficial, helping us manage demand. Additionally, the wider range of healthcare staff at the surgery, such as physios and pharmacists, has further ensured that our patients receive the right care at the right time.”
The GP Patient Survey examines experiences of care across England and was completed by 18,000 people in south west London.
The GP Patient Survey in detail:
Overall experience
According to the survey 80% of south west London residents rated their overall experience of using their GP practice as good, compared to a national average of 74%. The result is the highest in London. Only 9% of south west Londoners rated the care they received as poor compared to a national average of 13%.
East Twickenham primary care network in Richmond scored highest in south west London on patient experience with 93% of patients surveyed describing it as good. It was followed by West Merton primary care network with a score of 89%
Booking appointments
How easy it is to get a GP appointment is an important topic nationally, and the survey explored people’s experiences of accessing care in different ways. It found that more people in south west London are using online services to book appointments than in England as a whole (51% compared to 41%). When it comes to getting in touch, 60% of people in south west London said they found it easy or fairly easy to contact their practice by phone compared to 50% nationally. And 55% found it easy to get in touch via the website against the 48% England average. More than half of people (52%) said they found it easy to contact their GP using the NHS App compared to 45% nationally.
When asked how they tried to contact their practice on the most recent occasion, most people chose to pick up the phone (62%). However, this number was lower than the UK average figure of 68%.
The appointment experience
Around two-thirds of appointments in south west London were held face-to-face (66%) and 29% were carried out by phone.
Once they have made contact with their practice, the wait for an appointment was ‘about right’ for 69% of residents, against 66% nationally.
When asked about their last GP appointment, 89% of people said they felt listened to and 87% felt they had been treated with care and concern. In addition, 93% said they had confidence in the person who treated them and 91% felt their needs had been met. All of these measures are above the England average.