Patients can't get through to GPs

In a recent survey, millions of patients across the UK are unable to reach a GP because they are met with an engaged tone when calling their local surgery.

Researched suggested that every month more than six million patients who called a doctor between 8am and 10am were unable to get through. It also highlighted, that 93% of calls to doctors’ surgeries, which used normal landlines, go unanswered because the number is busy.

However, doctors’ surgeries that used a dedicated phone system to answer calls as opposed to normal landlines – the number of patients getting through first time increased to more than 98%. The callers found it more than twice as easy to get hold of a doctor and three times as easy to get test results over the phone. 

Network Europe Group (NEG), a telephone service provider, that conducted the survey, is now urging the Government to adopt a standardised system so that patients are able to make appointments, or pick up their test results when they need to. Dean Rayment, Managing Director of NEG, said, “We are genuinely shocked by the findings of our research. We think the Government will be equally shocked. But doctors should remain free to decide on the system that works best for their patients”.

The use of automated phone systems has raised questions in the past as callers were charged over the national call charge to contact their GPs. However, recent legislation has ended this practice with patients now being charged only the cost of a local call. 

The Department of Health stressed, “GPs should have the freedom to provide services as they see fit”.

A spokesman said: "The NHS White Paper published earlier this summer set out plans to give everyone the right to choose the GP that best meets their needs and we are removing ineffective top-down political targets that get in the way of GPs responding to people's needs. Instead of the Government telling GPs what patients want, we want patients to tell their GP themselves what they want and then give GPs the freedom to provide services and be accountable for the results they achieve. We also intend to roll out one single number 111 for all urgent care needs by 2013."

With the government’s drive to improve patient care and access to GPs, the need to look at ways of improving patient care will continue. As the NHS continues to reform and implement changes to improve services, MPP Locums is well placed to meet the future demands of the NHS. 

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