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September 2024 - Health

Many patients leave GP appointments without discussing all worries survey shows: A recent survey has revealed the inability of some GP patients to discuss their health issues with their GP as well as highlighting key areas patients would like to see addressed to improve their GP experience.

The IPSOS poll asked 1,094 British adults aged 16-75 about their experiences when raising and discussing health concerns with their GP, whether they found the standard 10-minute consultation time sufficient, and how easy it was to schedule appointments at a time most convenient for them.

Results showed that just over half (51%) of the respondents were able to discuss “everything” or “most things” they wanted with their GP at their last appointment. Older individuals (aged 55-75) were more likely to express satisfaction in discussing all or most of their health concerns compared to people aged 16-34 (54% vs 47%). However, 40% of UK patients were only able to discuss “some things”, “hardly anything” or “nothing at all” and believed that the 10-minute slot was insufficient to address all their health concerns.  The survey found that nearly three-quarters of respondents (72%) found the current, standard 10-minute consultation to be inadequate suggesting that a 15 or 20-minute (34% vs 21% ) consultation would be more ideal.

Just over two-thirds (61%) of respondents said they were not confident that they would be able to book a GP appointment quickly at a convenient time. This lack of confidence could explain why the ability to make face-to-face appointments (56%), shorter waiting times for an appointment (53%), and making it easier to book an appointment (52%) were the top three areas that patients wanted their GP practices to improve.

According to Professor Kamila Hawthorne (chair of the Royal College of GPs), many GPs will empathise with their patients. A recent poll of GPs found that 60% didn’t have enough time to “adequately assess and treat patients”. 

Professor Hawthorne says: “We need more time during consultations, particularly if a patient has complex health needs .... but with the current workload and workforce pressures facing GPs and our teams, we’re struggling to give our patients the time they need and the time we want to spend with them.”

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