ONS survey shows high satisfaction levels with primary care

An ONS survey has shown high satisfaction levels for GP, dentistry and pharmacy services.

(c) Hush Naidoo Jade Photography/Unsplash

(c) Hush Naidoo Jade Photography/Unsplash

For the period covering 15 October to 6 November, almost three-quarters (73%) of respondents reported a ‘very good' or ‘good experience' when contacting their GP.

Nine out of ten (89.6%) adults ‘very satisfied' or ‘satisfied' with the dentistry care they received and 88.9% said were ‘very satisfied' or ‘satisfied' with pharmacy services.

Four-fifths (80.8%) of patients contacting a GP or healthcare professional were given a face-to-face appointment or offered one. People in the South East were less likely to have a face-to-face appointment.

Adults with a long-term health condition were significantly more likely (52.7%) to have a preferred healthcare professional than people without a long-term health condition (30.3%). Almost two-thirds (61%) of those who had a preferred healthcare professional were able to see them.

Over 4 in 10 (42.8%) adults attempted to contact their GP practice, with 95.7% successful, with 78.5% making contact the same day.

Just under half (48.2%) of those who had successfully contacted their GP practice did so by telephone, although one in seven (13.3%) described this as ‘difficult'.

Those who contacted their GP practice in person and via online methods were most likely (75.5% and 75.3%) to describe the experience as ‘easy'.

Over one in 10 (14.4%) who had been dispensed an NHS prescription had a problem getting their prescription. Females, older adults, and those with a long-term health condition were significantly more likely to report using NHS services from a pharmacy ‘several times a month'. Most adults (77.9%) used a pharmacy they could walk to.

Throughout the survey, levels of satisfaction tended to be higher among the older age groups, those living in the least deprived areas and those without a long-term health condition.

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