
GP teams in mid and south Essex are working hard to deliver timely and quality care to local patients.
Recent data released by NHS England shows that local GP surgeries delivered 562,492 appointments for patients in March 2024. Over 76% of those appointments were delivered face-to-face this month, and just over half of all appointments were delivered the same day or next day.
National plans published in May 2023 set out how the NHS will make it easier and more convenient for patients to get the help they need from primary care services. Locally, over 6.2 million consultations have taken place in GP surgeries across mid and south Essex since then. That includes almost half a million more consultations in GP surgeries compared to the same period in 2022 to 2023 (a 7% increase).
Since May 2023, 77% of all consultations were delivered face to face, which is higher than the national average of 65% and higher than the same period in 2022 to 2023 which was 73%. Over 5 million appointments (82%) were undertaken within 2 weeks of the patient contacting the practice.
In mid and south Essex, there is ongoing work to help patients get better access to NHS primary care services. This includes supporting GP surgeries to improve their online and telephone services, hiring more staff, and introducing new ways that make contacting and visiting GPs more efficient. You can learn more about these updates to GP services by clicking the button below.
Making it easier to access local GP servicesIt’s wonderful news that thanks to the hard work of our GPs and their teams, we are able to offer thousands of extra appointments across our practices in mid and south Essex, meaning more people are getting the care they need, when they need it.
We know there is further work to be done and we’re absolutely committed to building on this progress to make access to an appointment even easier, through upgrades to GP practices’ telephone systems and other steps outlined in the primary care access recovery plan. This will help modernise general practice, expand pharmacy services, and offer patients more choice in how they access care.”
Dr Anna Davey, GP lead for NHS Mid and South Essex
In addition to improving access to GP services, through the Pharmacy First service, patients can now also get health advice and treatment for many minor health concerns at their local pharmacy without a GP appointment or a prescription.
Pharmacists have the right clinical training to make sure people get the help they need and can also signpost to other local healthcare services where appropriate.
98% of all local pharmacies in mid and south Essex now offer advice and treatment for a range of common health conditions including:
- earache (for those aged between 1 and 17)
- impetigo
- infected insect bites
- shingles
- sinusitis
- sore throat
- urinary tract infections (UTIs) for women aged 16-64 years.
You can search for and find your nearest pharmacy offering this service using the NHS pharmacy finder.
NHS pharmacy finderAcross mid and south Essex, people can directly refer themselves for key services such as help with minor eye conditions, sexual health and mental health services without needing to see a GP. This helps to free up doctors’ time to focus on delivering care to people with more complex health needs. More information on other self-referral services will be available soon.
NHS self-referral services in mid and south EssexPatients can also use the NHS App to order repeat prescriptions and view their test results without needing to contact their GP practice.