查看文章

It seems that hardly a week goes by without a new story in the press about general practice under pressure. Evidence suggests that people are finding it increasingly difficult to get GP appointments; politicians are pressing for extended opening hours; and surveys of GPs report low morale, unmanageable workload and problems with recruitment. These mounting concerns have, in recent months, prompted inquiries by the Health Select Committee, the Public Accounts Committee and the National Audit Office (NAO) into access to general practice.

Surveys show generally high public satisfaction with general practice, and the annual British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey consistently finds it to be the most popular part of the NHS. However, satisfaction levels declined during the previous parliament, from 77 per cent in 2010 to 71 per cent in 2014 (Appleby and Robertson 2015). This trend continued in the most recent survey, falling to 69 per cent–the lowest level since the survey began in 1983 (Appleby and Robertson 2016). The NHS GP patient survey has shown similar trends, revealing high but declining levels of satisfaction with overall experience and in specific areas, particularly access and