Making it easier to access local GP services  

Improving access to General Practice (GP) is one of the NHS’s top priorities. The national plans focus on improving patient access to GP services across the UK, with the local NHS delivering their own improvement plans for local people. 

The NHS primary care access recovery plan, while nationally led, builds on work already happening locally across mid and south Essex to make it easier and more convenient for patients to get the help they need from primary care services. This includes: 

• Tackling the 8am rush for appointments and reducing the number of people struggling to contact their GP surgery. 
• Improving patient satisfaction by making sure people know how their healthcare requests will be handled by their GP surgery. 
• Helping people get quicker access to what they need by introducing digital options, such as cloud-based telephony systems, and encouraging the use of the NHS App. 
• Expanding pharmacy services so patients can get more help for their health without having to make an appointment at their GP surgery. 

Some local GP surgeries have already made great progress to introduce new ways of working to deliver more appointments and provide better access. This includes: 

• nearly 600 new professionals are now working in the wider primary care workforce 
• the numbers of GPs (including trainee GPs) have increased from 635 full-time equivalents in April 2023 to 656 in February 2024 
• over 3.3 million appointments were delivered in GP surgeries in the six months from April to September 2024, which is a 3.3% increase to the same period in the previous year 
• 74% of these consultations were delivered face to face (which is higher than the national average of 66%) 
• 81% of the patients were seen within 2 weeks  

Our next steps to improve access:

Access care more easily via a range of routes 

Local health and care teams are working hard to make it easier for you to access services at your GP surgery. This includes:  

• Making it easier to get through on the phone  
• Better initial assessment of your clinical needs (also known as ‘triage’), so that you get the right care for you, as quickly as possible   
• Prioritising urgent needs first, so that people who need to be seen quickly get the right care regardless of when or how they contact their GP surgery.  

There are several ways to reach your practice:  

• Online (via the practice website, or NHS App) 
• By phone, or; 
• By visiting the surgery.  

However you choose to get in touch with your practice, a dedicated team will respond based on your circumstances. They will help you with the next step of your care, tailored to your needs: it could be a face-to-face appointment, a phone or video consultation, or a simple text or email message. These can be more flexible and often mean they can help you sooner.  

Not all GP practices will have the same options for access. For example, some may have appointments available via the NHS App, while others may not. Some will require you to complete an online consultation (or online ‘triage’) ahead of offering an appointment, while others may not. This will all depend on how each individual practice chooses to manage their appointments. 

What is cloud-based telephony? 

Practices across mid and south Essex are moving over to a system called cloud-based telephony (or digital telephony). Cloud-based telephony is a modern phone system that uses the internet instead of traditional phone lines. It connects your GP surgery through an online platform, making it smarter and more efficient for both patients and staff. 

Benefits for patients: 

• Quicker responses: Calls are managed more efficiently, so you spend less time waiting 
• Call back options: Some systems allow you to request a call back instead of holding on the line 
• Fair access: Advanced features like queue management ensure calls are answered in the order they are received 
• Better communication: Staff can see real-time updates, helping them provide the best possible service. 

Cloud-based telephony is part of the NHS’s commitment to making healthcare access easier and more convenient for everyone. 

More about our steps to improve access: 

Promoting use of the NHS website and NHS App 

The NHS website has a wealth of information to help you manage your health, including a comprehensive health guide and symptom checker, information on medicines, and healthy living tools and advice. The NHS website has also been expanded to include information on local services, and improvements have been made to the heart and blood pressure monitoring tools. 

The NHS App allows you to view your clinical records (including test results), order repeat prescriptions, view messages from your GP surgery, and manage routine appointments. More people will also be able to self-refer for specific conditions through the App too. 

Promoting the use of pharmacies first 

Pharmacists are experts in medicine and can offer invaluable advice on managing minor illnesses or can tell you if you need further medical help. If you’re dealing with a common cold, sore throat, or mild stomach troubles, start by visiting your local pharmacy. Some pharmacies can also offer lifestyle services to support you to make healthier choices, quit smoking or lose weight. 

Community pharmacies can now also offer treatment for seven common conditions without patients needing to see a GP for a prescription.  

Highly trained pharmacists at approximately 98% of local pharmacies in mid and south Essex can now assess and provide treatment for: 

• earache 
• impetigo
• infected insect bites 
• shingles
• sinusitis 
• sore throat, and;  
• urinary tract infections (UTIs) for women aged 16-64. 

If the pharmacy team is unable to help, they can direct you to the right healthcare professional for your needs.  

By expanding the services community pharmacies offer, the NHS is aiming to give people more choice in how and where they access care and help free up appointments at GP surgeries. 

Modernising ways of working in GP services  

It is important that GP services continue to explore opportunities to modernise in line with evolving patient expectations. We are therefore supporting GP surgeries and Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to move to digital systems and improve access to services. 

Easier access: 

Local insight tells us that many people struggle to get through to their surgeries to make an appointment on the same day. Investment in better telephone technology for GP teams will allow surgeries to manage call queues, including calling patients back rather than patients having to wait on the phone. This will mean people can get through to their surgery easier, and they will no longer have to rush for an appointment at 8am or be told to call back another day. 

Most urgent needs prioritised: 

People will be prioritised based on the urgency of the issue, regardless of when they contact their GP surgery or how (for example within the surgery, over the phone, or online). 

Over the last few years, surgery teams have expanded to include a wide range of healthcare professionals who work alongside GPs and nurses to ensure patients receive the care they need as quickly as possible. 

Care Navigators at GP surgeries are central to this, they focus on triaging patients to the most appropriate healthcare professional or service for their clinical needs. 

For people who don’t have access to the internet or a digital device: 

The plan recognises the needs of people who are not confident or do not have access to digital technology or the internet, as well as those who don’t have access to a private space for calls. 

Whether patients choose to contact their surgery in person or over the phone, Care Navigators will be available to help patients who don’t have access to the internet or a digital device as well as guide them to any help available (for example, local support groups for digital inclusion).  

By promoting the use of digital tools to people who are able to use them, we can free up phone lines and time for those who need further support.  

For support with digital tools, there are a range of local groups that can help. 

If you live in Essex: 

Visit your nearest library to find out about local events to help you access online health services, or view the library events online.   

For general digital support in Essex, Essex County Council offer a range of free courses across Essex.

Call the Digital Skills Helpline – 0800 987 4110. It’s free to call from any UK mobile or landline and is open to everyone. 

If you live in Southend-On-Sea: 

The South Essex Community Hub provides support to help you build confidence and skills to use a range of digital tools. Contact SECH on 01702 611199 Monday to Friday, 10 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm.  

If you live in Thurrock: 

Libraries in Thurrock offer a range of digital skills courses. Visit your nearest library to find out more.

Additionally: 

Barclays Digital Wings can be used to help you grow digital skills.

Expanding the range of healthcare professionals now available in local GP surgeries: 

GP surgery teams are now made up of a range of health professionals who work in the surgery and in the wider community to help you get the right care when you need it.

There is a mix of staff working in each surgery across mid and south Essex, so please check with your surgery’s reception team to find out which roles are available for you to access. You may be able to access healthcare services from a particular healthcare professional at another GP surgery within your Primary Care Network (PCN) area.