GPs: answers to questions patients ask most often

Health advice - 17 January 2024

One of the comments we most often hear about the NHS is that people are unhappy with their local GP. Here we comment on the topics patients most often raise with us.

Why isn’t the GP service better?
One huge problem is that there aren’t enough GPs. In 2015 there were 52 GPs for every 100,000 patients – by 2022 there were only 45. So for every 6 patients on an average GP list in 2015, there are 7 now.

Will things improve soon?
More than a third of GPs say they plan to quit the profession in the next five years. It takes at least seven years to qualify as a GP, so this is a long-term problem.

I have to wait on the phone for a long time
Last May the government announced £240 million of funding for new phone systems. New systems will be able to call you back rather than you having to wait. We’ll be watching to see if this makes a difference in practice. One alternative for some people at the moment may be to use the practice website – you may be able to send a message explaining why you need an appointment.

I just can’t get an appointment
Sutton has four “GP Enhanced Access Hubs” which provide services in evenings and at weekends. Ring 0333 332 6570 to ask for an appointment.

Is there anyone else who can help?
Ring NHS 111 for advice if you can’t get a GP appointment, about urgent treatment centres or to book a callback from a nurse. Or talk to a pharmacist – they have five years’ training and can help with minor illnesses.

I can’t see a doctor, I get fobbed off with someone else
Different health professionals now work in GP surgeries as well as doctors. You may be offered an appointment with a nurse, a physiotherapist, a pharmacist, a health and wellbeing coach or someone with a different job. They have specialist skills which should mean they can help you better than a doctor.

How can I make things better at my GP surgery?
Every surgery has a Patient Participation Group or PPG. This is a forum where patients can talk to practice staff and share their point of view about how services work in practice. You would need to go to an occasional meeting. Ask your GP practice for more information.

How do I make a complaint?
The surgery will have a complaints procedure. Contacting them may be the quickest way to resolve an issue. You can also contact South West London NHS, which funds GP services in Sutton - ring 0800 026 6082, or email contactus@swlondon.nhs.uk