Healthwatch Bradford and District has published a report on what the people of Bradford think about their local GP services.
The organisation received almost 600 comments about GP and dentist services in the area. Although some people spoke positively about their experiences at the GP practice, the report also showed a strong feeling of frustration across Bradford and district.
The main problems that people spoke to Healthwatch about were:
- difficulty in getting GP appointments;
- problems with the attitude or knowledge of staff;
- lack of continuity of care, particularly people not getting to see their own doctor.
One of the people whose views contributed to the report was Julia Hall from Thornbury, Bradford.
Julia said: “Listening to people talking at the Healthwatch events was really interesting; GP surgeries all seem to be doing different things and it highlighted some of the health inequalities that exist in our city.
“Some people are really struggling to even get an appointment, and certain groups of people are having worse experiences than others; but if some GP surgeries can get it right, why can’t they all?”
Andrew Jones, manager of Healthwatch Bradford and District said: “We heard about some good GPs in the district, where systems are working well and people can see a doctor when they need to, and where people feel like staff understand and meet their individual needs. Everyone in Bradford district should be able to expect this.
“However the views highlighted in our report show that some groups of people have particularly bad experiences, such as people with mental health needs or from minority ethnic communities.
“It’s frustrating that good practice doesn’t always seem to be shared across the district and patients still feel that it’s a ‘postcode lottery’. Healthwatch want the organisations in charge of improving services to bring all practices up to the standard of the best.”
Healthwatch say that improving access to GP services, particularly at evenings and weekends is vital.
“We’ve seen lots of news stories recently about the problems in Accident and Emergency at our hospitals, and our report highlights that part of the pressure on A&E is because people go there as a last resort because they have an urgent need but can’t get attention from their GP out of hours.”
A spokesman for Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven, Bradford City and Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) said: “This report will be a valuable tool to help us understand what local people think about healthcare services, what is working well and the kind of improvements they would like to see.
“While CCGs do not commission GP or dental services, we do have a role in driving up quality in general practice and the report will inform this important area of work. We are keen to hear people’s views on services and to help them to learn more about, and get involved with, the way health services are organised and run.
Healthwatch will work with these organisations to follow up on the 15 recommendations they make in the report, to make sure they take action.
The report from Healthwatch has been published on their website and has been sent to all GP practices in the district, as well as decision-makers such as NHS England and the three Clinical Commissioning Groups.
People can still share their experiences of GP services in the district, and find out more about getting involved in Healthwatch online at www.healthwatchbradford.co.uk, or by contacting them on 0300 56 10987.
